Making History: Typeface rewrites the script

The Hague – A new typeface system comprising 21 layers was inspired by the evolution of typography. The layers, or independent fonts that can be recombined, range from humanist renaissance, transitional, baroque, script-like, early grotesque and 19th century vernacular to digital typefaces.

History, designed by typographer Peter Bil’ak, can be stacked, turned on or off, flipped, transposed or manipulated to generate thousands of unique letter forms. An online application called History Remixer lets users adjust the layers of the font, including colour, visibility and opacity.

Each layer of type suggests a particular historic trend. The design of an ‘A’, for instance, is inspired by 15th century humanist calligraphy.