UniFraktur Maguntia
UniFrakturMaguntia is a free unicode Fraktur font created by G. Ansmann in 2010. The goal of the whole UniFraktur suite, including UniFrakturMaguntia is to provide free, editable blackletter typefaces for developers to use online. The point of interest for UniFrakturMaguntia and it’s sister typeface UniFrakturCook is their extensive contemporary latin glyph collection and compatibility with the most sophisticated smart font technologies, including OpenType, Apple Advanced Typography (AAP), and Graphite.
The goal of this project was to create a thematically-appropriate type specimen for a typeface of our choice. My chosen specimen was UniFrakturMaguntia.
Developmental Work
My goal was to create a small bound hardcover book with pages designed to match 16th century typesetting conventions that will give audiences a physical and immersive experience of the potential of UniFrakturMaguntia. Each page would not just be printed on a modern printer, but transferred onto parchment-like paper using the transfer printing method with eucalyptus oil. This provides a better sense of physicality and allows human error to make its way into the equation, providing even more immersion for a replica 16th century book and paying respect to the relevant history of physicality in the early printing press.
All of this was means towards the end of providing audiences interested in UniFrakturMaguntia with a realistic and historically accurate representation of the typeface’s origins and historical significance that they could physically hold as they ideate the infinite decorative possibilities of this typeface.
Grids & Layouts
Large, decorated margins and small, thin gaps between border and text mimic the 16th century style, creating a pleasantly dense and realistic layout.
Final Layouts
Transfer printing was employed on the Inket-printed specimen pages to give the final book a more rustic and aged appearance, lending itself better to the 16th century character of the typeface. The final specimen utilises a recycled book cover, transfer-printed pages, and careful digital layouts to culminate in an immersive and playful specimen experience.
