Semplicita Pro is a new sans-serif design that effortlessly straddles the tri-cornered divide between the geometric, humanist and gothic sans-serifs. We started by reappraising Semplicità, Alessandro Butti's important 1930 design for Nebiolo. Fueled by Futura, Semplicità gave us the clue to the future: replace the cool geometric Teutonic soul of Futura with the warm, humanist, calligraphic letterforms that are characteristic, not of the Bauhaus, but of the Italian Renaissance. With its radically revised formal structure, where only a few characters have a hint of geometric perfection, and the rest are drawn in a calligraphic manner, Semplicità is buzzing with ideas and has served as a gene pool for several new typefaces over the last two decades.
Yet, Semplicita Pro goes its own way. It isn't a simple revival of Semplicità, which would have looked like a period piece. We wanted to use it to solve a practical puzzle: how to make modernist sans-serif letterforms truly readable, yet persuasive as message-carriers. We decided to keep its calligraphic soul and even emphasize it in places, but to dispense with features that seemed to be over-exaggerated, over-decorative or simply non-functional.
The result is an intensely readable sans-serif that, while obviously new and obviously stylish, provides the high comfort factor readers experience when viewing the classic stalwarts of 20th century sans-serif design, and gives contemporary designers a widely expressive palette.
Semplicita Pro is loaded with OpenType features and over 850 glyphs per font. For more information on the design, complete character sets, technological features, and print tests, consult the accompanying PDF.About the designer:
Canada Type is an independent font development studio based in Toronto. The studio was founded in 2004 by Rebecca Alaccari and Patrick Griffin, as a means to create professional type solutions for creative indviduals and departments all over the world. Since its inception, Canada Type has brought forth a comprehensive and popular library of typefaces that accommodate a variety of aesthetic tastes. Alongside Rebecca's and Patrick's original designs and historical revivals, the Canada Type library features typefaces by eminent American calligrapher Philip Bouwsma, Dutch science writer and lifelong type enthusiast Hans van Maanen, American expat writer and classicist Bill Troop, and Canadian type designer Kevin King.
Canada Type also continues to create project-specific type solutions for a variety of clients, including large publishing houses, telecom and media companies, film production studios, design agencies, ad firms, and government agencies. Among Canada Type's clients are instantly recognizable names like the BBC, Disney, ABC, Pixar, New York Times, Newsweek, Wall Street Journal, MacLeans, Bell Canada, Rogers, Rethink, Reactor, Leo Burnett, Shaw Communications, Cafe Press, Sobeys, the Canadian Ministry of Transport, the Canadian Armed Forces, and the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
This package contains:
Semplicita Pro Light, Semplicita Pro Light Italic, Semplicita Pro Regular, Semplicita Pro Italic, Semplicita Pro Medium, Semplicita Pro Medium Italic, Semplicita Pro Semibold, Semplicita Pro Semibold Italic, Semplicita Pro Bold and Semplicita Pro Bold Italic
Copyright © 2011 Canada Type
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