Geppetto
Zetafonts · Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini · 2022
A variable typeface revival of a condensed Tuscan wood type from the 1903 Tubbs catalog, expanding across a width axis named after the carpenter who made Pinocchio.
About
Rooted in a design probably originating with William Hamilton Page in 1859, Geppetto revives a condensed Tuscan letterform as a variable typeface that stretches along a width axis. The four named instances, True, Small Lie, Medium Lie and Big Lie, frame the project as a meditation on authenticity and what is preserved or lost when historical wood type is translated into digital form. It covers 152 languages across Latin and Greek scripts and includes discretionary ligatures, case-sensitive forms and four stylistic sets.
Classification
A revival of a condensed Tuscan wood type family from the 1903 Tubbs catalog, featuring the bifurcated serifs and ornamental character typical of 19th-century display wood type. Classified as display due to its clear decorative, large-scale heritage.