Anselm by Frantisek Storm

Designed by František Štorm
Published by Storm Type
Available from Storm and MyFonts
Winner TDC2 2008

Typefaces of 2007 index »

It is amazing to me how the work of František Štorm consistently captures raw energy in typographic form. I’ve been a Štorm fanboy for years now and always recommend his typefaces when given a chance. This year I was blown away when Mr. Štorm took two of my favorite typefaces in his library, Serapion and Sebastian, and systematized them. In doing so, he harmonized their characters, taming some details with the goal of creating a typeface system suitable for text. The result is a sturdy family that could almost be classified as a “workhorse”. However, Anselm has a bit more spirit, making it perfect for applications where a bit of joie de vivre can be appreciated and not where a bland typeface is needed. An important aspect of this type system is the inclusion of a pan-European character set. The Greek and Cyrillic counterparts are impeccable and are perfect companions to the extensive Latin. In short, Anselm does everything a modern typeface system should do and sets the bar for other systems to follow.

— Paul Hunt is a type enthusiast turned bezier wrangler for P22 and their LTC library. Among his own type designs is P22 Zaner which received an honorable mention in Typographica’s “Typefaces of 2006”.