Neue Modern
2023The revival of distinctiveness
Neue Modern is a serif typeface inspired by Lining Sandringham, a font family introduced in the mid-1920s by the London-based foundry R. H. Stevens & Co. Ltd. Comprising 117 glyphs in a single weight, Neue Modern features dramatic contrast and ornamental ligatures, making it ideal for striking displays such as posters, books, and large-scale advertisements.
The project began as an effort to digitise and optimise Lining Sandringham Old Style to suit modern applications. However, due to inconsistencies in the original specimen, other variations of Lining Sandringham and related typefaces were referenced.
Research and expert input suggested that this typeface could be an alternative to Cheltenham, a typeface designed in 1896 by Bertram Goodhue and Ingalls Kimball. Despite Lining Sandringham Old Style inherits specific ligature details and fused elements of old style and transitional faces, its overall structure is notably narrower compared to Cheltenham.
Drawing heavily from these two font families, Neue Modern faithfully restores the serif details and structural elements of its predecessors. It also introduces essential punctuation, symbols, and improved kerning for enhanced usability. As a result, Neue Modern is presented as a distinctive revival of a classic design and is now ready to show its abundance again in the digital era.
一個風格的華麗復興
Neue Modern 是一套襯線字體，靈感來自於 1920 年代中期發表的字體 Lining Sandringham。由單一字重、共 117 個字符組成，Neue Modern 擁有誇張的外觀與高度裝飾性的連字設計，適合用於海報、書籍及大型廣告等展示性媒介。
該專案最初目標是將 Lining Sandringham Old Style 進行數位化並加以優化。然而，原始字集收錄不全且細節不一致，使得專案不得不擴展研究範圍，納入更多字重及其他類似字體進行參考。最終，文獻與專家意見顯示，Lining Sandringham 很可能是 Cheltenham 字體的衍生版本，這也使得 Cheltenham──這套早在 1896 年發表的字體──成為專案中的重要參考對象。
儘管 Lining Sandringham 繼承了 Cheltenham 的連字設計，並忠實重現其融合舊風格（Old Style）與過渡風格（Transitional）的外觀，其整體比例較 Cheltenham 更為窄長。而 Neue Modern 不僅在兩者之間找到了平衡，重新展現了其獨特風格，還補全了常用標點符號與特殊符號，並改善了字間微調細節，以確保字體的實用性。
作為一個風格的復興，Neue Modern 已準備在數位時代大展風采。
Sector
Art & Culture 藝術與文化
Discipline
Typography 字體設計
Book 書籍設計
Role
Type Designer & Editor 字體設計 + 內容編輯
Collaborators
Edwin Pickstone
Ellmer Stefan
Matthew Walkerdine
Specifications (typeface)
1 style with 117 glyphs
OTF, TTF
Specifications (type specimen)
180x230 mm, 28 pages
Digital CMYK printing 數位四色印刷
Softcover with embossing 平裝 + 打凸
Saddle stitch bound 騎馬釘裝