Ivar Nostalgi
Letters from Sweden · Göran Söderström · 2018
A single bold-weight, high-contrast display serif in four optical styles including a stencil cut, evoking the exuberant phototypesetting aesthetics of the 1970s.
About
Designed by Göran Söderström and released in 2018, it draws on faces like Times Modern, Caslon Graphique and ITC Grouch to recreate the tight spacing and extreme contrast of 1970s phototypesetting-era display type. Four optical styles progress from tight hairlines to a stencil version where those hairlines disappear entirely, giving the family an unusual formal range within a single weight. The result reads as familiar without being derivative, producing the déjà-vu effect its name promises.
Classification
Ivar Nostalgi is a high-contrast serif with extreme stroke contrast and tight letterspacing, explicitly referencing 1970s phototypesetting-era display faces like Times Modern and ITC Grouch. Its stencil cut and optical variants place it firmly in the display category.