Barnum
Zetafonts · Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini, Mario De Libero · 2023
A Clarendon-model slab serif by Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini that adds serifless treatment on select characters and a variable weight axis across 48 styles including Condensed and Compressed.
About
Drawing directly from the bracketed slab serifs of Thorowgood and Besley's 1845 Clarendon, Barnum runs eight weights from Book to Ultra across normal, condensed and compressed widths, each with matching italics. Lighter cuts are drawn with transitional proportions suited to body text, while heavier cuts shift toward display work with more commanding stroke contrast. The serifless treatment on C, G and S gives the family a modest brutalist inflection that distinguishes it from straightforward historical revivals.
Classification
Barnum is a Clarendon-model slab serif, rooted in the bracketed, high-contrast slab serif tradition originating with Thorowgood and Besley in 1845, with deliberate departures including serifless variants on key characters.