New Alphabet
The Foundry Types · Wim Crouwel · 1967
Wim Crouwel's 1967 theoretical typeface, built entirely from horizontals, verticals and 45-degree angles in response to early cathode ray tube phototypesetting technology.
About
Designed within the strict constraints of a 5-by-9 pixel grid, the letterforms abandon conventional distinction between upper and lowercase, using a bar above a letter to signal a capital instead. Crouwel never intended the design for practical use; it was a provocation and a point of departure, intended to stimulate debate about how letterforms might adapt to electronic reproduction rather than fight against it. The family has been realised as four styles and is licensed exclusively through Monotype.
Classification
Conceived as a radical theoretical exercise constrained entirely to horizontals, verticals and 45-degree angles derived from cathode ray tube dot-matrix technology, placing it firmly in the experimental display category with no conventional typographic antecedent.