Microscopic X Condensed

Microscopic is a font inspired by GOTHIC NO. 3, a typeface featured in the Barnhart Brothers & Spindler Typeface specimen, published in the US c. 1908. Late in our design process, we discovered lighter weights issued by other foundries (Lanston Monotype and Keystone Type Foundry in Philadelphia), which convinced us to expand our original single-style font into a small family consisting of 5 Roman weights. Its distinctive appearance and clarity in small point sizes suggested the name Microscopic. The source typeface is an inspired amalgamation of styles, mixing square and soft shapes. The almost ‘mechanically’ constructed lowercase has intriguing and highly original ‘pinched’ bowls attached to the stems of the b, d, g, p, and q, among other fine details. The uppercase letters fit the somewhat traditional Grotesque design pattern. The typeface is a duplexed design which means that all of the fonts use the exact same amount of space no matter which font weight you select.