Remus

Introducing Remus, a typeface that reimagines the iconic letterforms of the Trajan column through the lens of an alternate history where Remus, rather than Romulus, was the mythical founder of Ancient Rome.

While Edward Catich's celebrated work involved reverse-engineering the Trajan letters with a flat brush, the approach intentionally diverged from the brush's elegance, embracing a bolder and more abrupt stylistic direction. Instead of elegant bracketed serifs, the design features an immediately moregraphic triangle wedge serif (ironically called "Latines" in Francis Thibaudeau's original Type Classification hypothesis). A distinctive feature of Remus is a sheared-off terminal stroke where bowls and arches meet a stem is directly inspired by my brief but insightful experience carving letters into stone with Françoise Berserk as part of my master in type design at the Royal Academy of Art in the The Hague.

The result is a typeface that captivates with its distinctive character. Its letterforms exhibit a sense of strength and presence, marked by sharp angles and geometric shapes that deviate from the fluidity of the capitalis monumentalis. Remus carries a unique tension in its design, evoking a sense of boldness and determination, much like the mythological figure it draws inspiration from.

Instead of the usual large range of weights and styles, Remus instead offers a selection of related styles in various guises - a condensed, an ultra-bold, a titling variant and an open style, inspired by Augustea by Niebolo foundry. This departure from family convention allows Remus to explore how it's unique perspective could work in various typographic use cases. It's definitely ideal for projects looking to make a bold statement.

Remus invites designers to embark on an alternative journey that combines the spirit of antiquity with a dash of imagination, offering an unorthodox perspective on the timeless beauty of capitalis monumentalis letterforms. Embrace the boldness of Remus and bring a touch of alternate history to your design projects.

Footnotes: In keeping with Stephen Cole's plea to contemporary type designers to cite their inspirations, we acknowledge that Remus owes a debt to more than a few typefaces and designers. A non-exhaustive list includes: Albertus & Pegasus, Berthed Wolpe, published by Monotype Augustea, Aldo Novarese & Alessandro Butti, published by Nebiolo Fritz Quadrata, by Ernst Friz, published by International Typeface Corporation
Priori, Jonathan Barnbrook, published by Emigre
Pericles, Robert Foster, published by American Type Founders Company