Foundry Old Style
The Foundry Types · David Quay · 1990
A humanist old style serif by David Quay, drawn initially with a broken clarinet reed and ink, tracing its lineage to the incunabula types of Nicolas Jenson.
About
Released in 1990 as The Foundry's debut typeface, it began as freehand calligraphy before being redrawn repeatedly onto detail and tracing paper, then digitised using Ikarus software. The pen stroke structure is present but more restrained than its early printing forebears, sitting closer to the Garamonds in refinement. A small family of four styles covering Normal, Normal Italic, Medium and Bold, intended for classical book work and positioned as a text companion to Foundry Sans.
Classification
Described explicitly as a transitional roman in the classical tradition, drawing on incunabula typefaces and the pen stroke influence of Nicolas Jenson, placing it firmly in the humanist old style serif lineage.