Owen Earl has lovingly re-drawn three classic typefaces: Bodoni, Clarendon and Futura. The former are aptly titled Bodoni* and Besley* after their creators. Jost* was formerly known as Renner* but had to be renamed to avoid copyright conflicts.

All three typefaces feel true to their origins, but they’re not just reproductions of the old typefaces. Mr Earl goes to great lengths to add features like additional weights and extended character support. In the case of Besley*, because there are no original Clarendon italics, he had to draw his own. For Bodoni*, he has produced seven optical weights (so far) so the type looks right no matter what size it’s used at.

The fonts are licensed under the SIL Open Font License meaning they are entirely free for any use. Fortunately Earl not only accepts payment, but encourages users to pay, but only what it’s worth to them. Doing so is not just generous, but also pragmatic – it must be very difficult to compete against the big type foundries. One hopes that the generosity he shows will be reciprocated by users and help to garner clients in future.