Amelie Briggs

Ana is a chromatic typeface consisting of 26 uppercase Latin characters, inspired by arabesque patterns from the nineteenth century.

Programmed to enable users to easily create multicolored drop caps and initials, this decorative display typeface features a different ornament for every letterform, which fits perfectly with its glyph shape.

This ornament is usually more luxurious on the left side of the letter, while on the right it is scarce, so that the body text can be placed close to the initial.

These initials are valuable for use in large sizes, like posters, magazines, packaging design, fairy tales, and so on.

The final forms of the initials consist of 5 parts which can be individually colored.

There are 5 font files named Ana Layer A, Ana Layer B, and so on. A font user can manually create a multicolored initial with these font files, if there is no possibility to use the Contextual Alternates option.

To do that, it is necessary to make 5 layers in the page layout software.

Then, the corresponding character should be placed on each layer, so that Ana Layer A is on the lowest layer and Ana Layer E is on the highest one.

Note that the glyph shapes are contained in the lower case positions. In contrast, the font file named Ana is programmed, so it is possible to create a multicolored initial with the Contextual Alternates command.

There is no need for additional layers, everything happens on a single layer.

First, the Contextual Alternates command (usually under OpenType menu) should be disabled.

Then, using lower case key, type the desired character 5 times and apply color to them.

Select them all and turn on the Contextual Alternates. Also, the font file Ana comes with a set of black initials that can be used just like any other non-color typeface.

The ornamental versions are contained in the uppercase positions, while the letters without the ornaments are in the lower case.

With the font file Ana Monochrome one can only get the monochrome initials.

Ornamental letters are contained in the upper case positions, while the letterforms without the ornaments are in the lower case.

Rion is a high-contrast modern, or Didone-style font family, with a calligraphic flourish. It is intended for typesetting headlines in editorial design settings, as well as signage, the larger texts in exhibition graphics, or any other place where you need big, elegant-looking type.

Rion takes inspiration both from straight-axis nineteenth century typefaces and pointed-pen calligraphy.

Its letterforms contain a high degree of stroke-contrast; this gives them a look of sophistication.

The family includes six weights, ranging in style from Light through Black. Each weight has both an upright font and an italic on offer. The fonts default numerals are proportionally-spaced oldstyle figures. Lining figures are also available, via an OpenType feature. Rions characters are all a bit condensed; this narrow feeling is especially present in the fonts uppercase letters.

The ascenders of the lowercase letters rise slightly above the tops of the capitals.

In the upright fonts, the a and the g are double-storied. In the italics, they are single-storied. Each font includes small caps, and 13 f-ligatures, too. Special characters in the fonts such as the hashtag and the @-symbol, as well several punctuation marks and mathematical glyphs are drawn with thin, monolinear hairline strokes, allowing them to disappear into the background somewhat, and let the real alphabetic characters shine more prominently.

Rion is the work of Barbara Bigosinska, a Polish type designer living in the Netherlands, who is a graduate of the MA Type & Media programme at the Royal Academy of Art (KABK) in The Hague.