The Complete Engraver and Two Free Fonts

Fonts.com is proud to announce two new releases – the JMC Engraver & Feldman Engraver typefaces – by Monotype Imaging designer Terrance Weinzierl.

Commissioned as companions to Nancy Sharon Collins’ new book The Complete Engraver: A Guide to Monograms, Crests, Ciphers, Seals, and the Etiquette and History of Social Stationery, these fonts are FREE for download from Fonts.com. Simply add them to your cart, download and enjoy.

With 224 pages, and 180 illustrations, The Complete Engraver is both an archive, as well as celebration, of the art of engraving, from its origin to contemporary practice. A designer and authority on engraving, Collins also provides insight on the evolving role of social stationery in today’s age of electronic correspondence. The JMC Engraver & Feldman Engraver typefaces are a testament to bridging this analog and digital divide.

Of the fonts’ development, Weinzierl explains: “The designs Nancy proposed were a selection from ‘masterplates,’ or lettering templates used for manual engraving machines. The design process started with scanning prints made with engravings. I redrew the shapes with singular, vector lines — an approach similar to the line drawn by the engraver.”

Above you can view the evolution of a Feldman Engraver letterform – and the keen attention to detail – from initial scan to final, rebuilt glyph. Indeed, the aesthetics of both the JMC Engraver & Feldman Engraver typefaces appear to not simply be inspired by—but, rather, channeled through—the visual ethos of the engraver. The pair of typefaces remain true to the proportion, rhythm and grace of antique engraved letterforms.

To develop the structure of the letterforms further, Weinzierl adds: “We added a precise stroke weight to that line; to put it simply, we dug the dirt away, rebuilt the skeleton, and put the muscle back on. As a designer, the revival projects I’ve done have not only helped me understand typographic history better, but helped me draw better curves and build better fonts.”

Stylistic alternate characters, as seen above, enhance the versatility as well as visibility of the fonts – in addition to both designs providing distinct airs of engraving’s elegance, the typefaces possess an unmistakable kinetic energy. As Weinzierl notes: “JMC Engraver & Feldman Engraver have that handmade feel, and they flaunt it with exuberant curves and curls. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we indulge in these organic designs when we get a chance, as it’s very different from our daily challenges in display imaging requiring pixel perfection.”

To learn more about the free JMC Engraver & Feldman Engraver typefaces, visit the promotion’s landing page on Fonts.com. In addition, click here to learn more about designer Terrance Weinzierl.

The Complete Engraver is available for pre-order here and will be released in stores in September. To learn more about the The Complete Engraver, please visit author Nancy Sharon Collins’ website Engraving for Nerds.

Want to know about typography and the process of engraving? On Friday, August 3, Nancy Sharon Collins will present Engraving and Type, A Beautiful but Somewhat Dysfunctional Relationship at TypeCon2012: MKE SHIFT. To learn more about the program, visit the TypeCon2012 website.