Givry

Givry is a 2008 release from TypeTogether, a foundry that exemplifies being small and good. With Givry, designer Tom Grace gives the world one of the remaining missing blackletters.

While Givry may not be what you’d immediately classify as a blackletter, for my buck the bâtarde flamande style fits the bill perfectly. Writing style from the 15th century? Check! Used north of the Alps? You bet’cha! Rooted in the territory of present-day France and Belgium? Oh my! But then again, so are most of the blackletter-styles that were later dubbed “Germanic.” As a font, Givry is a treat. Its character set contains ligatures and ligating elements; when a rounded letter is followed by another round, the two curves will overlap. This saves space and looks sweet at the same time.

Although slightly different, I see the bâtarde flamande as a good civilité alternative. Don’t get me wrong! The Civilité genre is cool. But you just can’t use it anymore. No one can—or will—want to read it. If you want a similar old school feeling, and a schwabacher or a rotunda just won’t hit it for you, specify Givry. If your subject matter is Francophile, then Givry is a more apt solution anyway; watch out, Charles VII! Givry is awesomely undertaken and worthy of recognition.

Dan Reynolds is a failed spirit, living in Berlin, but at least he finally has a dog. Occasionally, he designs typefaces (even one or two good ones), but he more often writes minor copy for typefoundries and font-retail websites. In 2015, he finally started working on the dissertation he planned in 2011; it is due in Spring 2018. Wish him luck! He really needs it.