Academica

in: Storm Type Library 5

Letterpress revivals are popular for their familiar expression. Many of us can still recognise certain subtle imperfections forced by the technology of punchcutting, metal typesetting and the behavior of printing ink on paper. However, “Academia” typeface revival has been adapted for computer typesetting straight from the original Týfa’s drawings dated from 1967; the punchcutting, casting and letterpress stage of development was not taken into account. It resulted in a modified, fresh looking, versatile family. New name Academica distinguishes the present digital transcription from the original version.
Josef Týfa first published Academia typeface in 1967–68. It was the winning design from competition aimed at new typeface for scientific texts, announced by Grafotechna. It was cut and cast in metal in 1968 in 8 and 10 point sizes of plain, italic and semi-bold designs. In 2003 Josef Týfa with František Štorm began to work on its digital version. During 2004 Týfa approved certain differences from the original drawings in order to bring more original and timeless feeling to this succesfull typeface. Vertical stem outlines are not straight, but softly slendered in the middle, italics were quietened, uppercase proportions brought closer to antique principle. Light and Black designs served (as usual) as starting points for interpolation of remainig weights. It comprises Týfa’s rational concept for scientific application with versatility to other genres of literature.