Questal Released

Questal is an intriguing unicase serif. The face appears rather eccentric, yet it still retains a refined character. The typeface is wider than most, but not to the degree that Aviano is extended. The font includes some interesting OpenType alternate characters to extend the quirky quality of the letterforms even further. If unicase isn’t your thing, the Questal family also includes a small caps variant for more traditional uses. Use Questal for eye-catching and distinctive logotypes or headlines.

Carta Marina

Carta Marina is based on the titling found on the famous map drawn by Olaus Magnus in 1539. The map of northern Europe took 12 years to complete, and the total size is a huge 1.7 meters tall by 1.25 meters wide. More information about the map, as well as the high resolution reference document used to create the typeface and illustration set can be found at the James Ford Bell Library, University of Minnesota.

The titling is slightly aged, very sturdy and elegant. Carta Marina includes a full set of OpenType alternates for every character in the English alphabet, oldstyle figures, historical forms, small caps and 64 discretionary ligatures. These ligatures are used to alter the appearance of the type so that the printing appears realistic and without any duplicate letters to detract from the antique appearance.

The Carta Marina family also includes some of the unique illustrations that give the map much of its character. It includes depictions of fanciful sea creatures, land animals and some of the inhabitants of the lands pictured.

Stratham

This is a bit late, not because there was an issue with the design. For some reason, I was unable to upload the information to the provider that handles my paypal payments and downloads, Payloadz.

Stratham is Kinshasa. I noticed when playing with the design that it had a very "English" feel to it. It reminded me of walking through Gatwick Airport. So I changed the name to something more English: Stratham.

You can learn more about the design process here at Typophile. I always appreciate the help of the folks over there. What they have to say is always useful. Special thanks to Jelmar Geertsma and Dan Reynolds for their comments and spurring me onward.

From the description:

Stratham is vigorous sans-serif inspired by the slab serif Clarendon. It is a heavy display face, and has a tangible modern British feel to it. The italic is especially dynamic and forward moving. Stratham includes OpenType titling and swash alternates, old style figures and small caps. Stratham is useful for headlines, highly legible signage or posters and works well in conjunction with the always popular Clarendon.

Valfieris Aged Released

From the description: Valfieris Aged looks as though it just came off a antique printing press. Ink has pooled in the serifs and on the corners, and the metal did not make full contact with the paper in center of the letters. Valfieris Aged includes a full set of OpenType alternates for every character in the English alphabet, swash alternates, ending swashes, oldstyle figures, historical forms, small caps and 64 discretionary ligatures. These ligatures are used to alter the appearance of the type so that the printing appears realistic and without any duplicate letters to detract from the antique appearance.

insigne Abstractions

Insigne Abstractions is a break from working with letterforms and a chance to play with pure abstraction. These ornaments are purely nonrepresentational, and are not letterforms. The abstractions are organic, and some would describe them as magnifications of microorganisms in black and white. There are 72 different ornaments this package. Some potential uses for these ornaments include alien alphabets, navigation buttons for a website, decorative elements, inspiration for logos or background textures.

Arendahl Released

Arendahl is a natural-looking, irregular connected handwriting script. The script has a fluctuating baseline and swirling ending swashes to give the lettering a soothing flow. Arendahl utilizes OpenType ligatures and alternates to prevent duplicate letterforms, and automatically substitutes the best letter combination or word glyph. Arendahl includes 64 discretionary ligatures based on the most common pairs in the English language, a full set of alternates for every English letter, ending swashes and ornaments. The Arendahl family is made up of eight fonts, including an alternate, bold weights and script versions.

More information here.

Aviano Titling Released

Aviano is an extended titling face with influence from the power and timeless beauty of classical letterforms. Aviano features extended characters for a formal feel, sharp, powerful looking serifs and geometric and consistent letterforms. Aviano is named for a small town at the base of the Alps in northern Italy. Use Aviano as an alternative to Trajan.

Purchase Aviano

Chennai Released

From the description: Chennai is a simplified sans-serif with a full complement of OpenType alternates. The characters are rounded, slightly extended and geometric. The OpenType alternates greatly complement the face. The primary version is more simplified, while the alternate is more traditional. These two “versions” are designed be used in conjunction with one another. For example, the primary version can be used for headings, while the alternate, with its stems and more traditional characters, can be used for highly legible body copy. Please see the PDF sample. Use Chennai whenever you need a contemporary and versatile sans serif.

Koelle Ornaments

Koelle Ornaments is complete! From the description: The Koelle Ornaments series is based on the etchings of Chris Koelle of Portland Studios. This is the second collaboration between insigne and Portland Studios; the first yielded the inky and active script Blue Goblet. Chris has a unique style where he “frames” his work with small icons related to the story or subject. These are now available as Koelle ornaments. Koelle Ornaments have a gritty, used appearance, and have a late 70’s stylistic feel to them.

There are 145 highly detailed illustrations in the entire pack, separated into four different fonts. These illustrations can be resized without any loss of quality, and can be easily converted to outlines and modified. Some of the ornaments have a Christian theme, while others are more generic.

To view what ornaments are available and the keys they map to, please view the sample pdf. The sample .pdf is an excellent reference guide, and we encourage you to print it out to quickly refer to your favorite ornaments.

Sample PDF (2MB)

Purchase options and more information.

Lorelei Released

Insigne is pleased to announce that Lorelei is now available for purchase. Lorelei is an exuberant and bouncy script. The ink seems to be slathered onto the surface in a casual and spontaneous manner, making for a flowing and feminine script that is perfect for invitations or greeting cards. The script also contains a large number of OpenType alternates and ligatures to extend the impulsive nature of the lettering. Lorelei is named for a young German maiden that supposedly threw herself into the Rhine. For more information and purchase options, please visit insigne.