What's you're favorite slab serif?

Maverick18x
17.Sep.2008 6.43am
Maverick18x's picture

Currently I’m in love with Archer. Now it’s your turn… ready, set, go!

Matt



brett jordan
17.Sep.2008 8.22am
brett jordan's picture

i’m saving up for soho


terminaldesign
17.Sep.2008 8.50am
terminaldesign's picture

Florian Hardwig
17.Sep.2008 8.56am
Florian Hardwig's picture

Psst … if you are rather on the humanistic route, and don’t need italics: Silica.


Fredrik
17.Sep.2008 11.32am
Fredrik's picture

I like the look of Silica. And I think Amasis is real nice.


Miss Tiffany
17.Sep.2008 12.11pm
Miss Tiffany's picture

I’ve got a few favorites but none of them have been released yet.


Miss Tiffany
17.Sep.2008 12.55pm
Miss Tiffany's picture

I guess that isn’t entirely true. I do like Vista Slab. I think Rayuela is more of a hybrid slab, but the chocolate weight gets me. I’ve used Giza and Cholla several times. And I’ve had my eyes on FF Zine and Dispatch too.


AGL
17.Sep.2008 1.01pm
AGL's picture

So many huh? I like the good and old STYMIE

http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/urw/stymie


rectangular
17.Sep.2008 1.10pm
rectangular's picture

out of ones I own: Clarendon
out of ones i wish i owned: Archer


Miss Tiffany
17.Sep.2008 1.23pm
Miss Tiffany's picture

And I agree. I wish I did have a license for Archer too.


Henrik Tandberg
18.Sep.2008 6.52am
Henrik Tandberg's picture

Joanna

2 x 2 = 5


xtianhoff
18.Sep.2008 6.55am
xtianhoff's picture

Overall, I guess I’d use Silica, but Caecilia italic is great. The roman is fine, but the italic is charming and lively, particularly at large sizes. Well, I guess all slabs work better at large sizes.

If you include it as a slab, Chapparal is terrific and CAN work at small sizes because of optical sizes. Pricey, though.


Ehague
18.Sep.2008 7.03am
Ehague's picture

Ehague
18.Sep.2008 7.12am
Ehague's picture

Also, Brioni is lovely. Sort of reminds me of Caecilia in a way that probably has nothing to do with type and everything to do with Atonement.


xtianhoff
18.Sep.2008 7.41am
xtianhoff's picture

I enjoy that James Montalbano likes Enclave...

Actually, *I* like it, too and appreciate being reminded about it. It has the forthrightness of slabs without the heavy handedness. That may well be a purchase in the new year.


rubenDmarkes
18.Sep.2008 12.46pm
rubenDmarkes's picture

I’ve been waiting for a thread like this! :P
I’ve been thinking about slabs; I think there’s a shortage of nice slabs… most of them look a bit off, to me, like those old ones, Rockwell and Stymie. Serifa is kind of nice, but I think those three work best when setting all caps. Not to mention the fact that they lack cursive italics. Anyway, I for one love Caecilia. And what about TheSerif? And Officina Serif?
I didn’t know some of these you all mentioned, but none of them really won me over… Vista was almost begging to become a slab, that’s a great one (I love Vista, so I love Vista Slab), and Black Sabbath is great in that quirky glitchy way. Should make some sweet posters!
But I see a possibility, here… I really need to start working on a slab. :P


kris
18.Sep.2008 1.16pm
kris's picture

Unit Slab will be pretty sweet when we’re done with it.

—K


satya
18.Sep.2008 1.49pm
satya's picture

zevbiz
18.Sep.2008 2.29pm
zevbiz's picture

United Serif (assuming it qualifies)


Fridlaugur Jonsson
18.Sep.2008 2.58pm
Fridlaugur Jonsson's picture

Archer!


pdxuser
18.Sep.2008 5.14pm
pdxuser's picture

No love for Lubalin Graph?


John Hudson
18.Sep.2008 5.40pm
John Hudson's picture

I’ve used Chapparal a number of times, and continue to admire it very much. It is a very comfortable read, which is more than can be said for most slab serifs, which tend towards stiffness and lack of interaction between letters.

I’ve just seen the newly released Brioni [PDF link] from Nikola Djurec, and it seems to me a clever piece of work.


Alessandro Segalini
19.Sep.2008 1.46am
Alessandro Segalini's picture

I’ve recently used Chaparral for the first time directing this graduation catalogue publication and everybody was happy (you can see a section here, .pdf).


Ricardo Cordoba
19.Sep.2008 6.48am
Ricardo Cordoba's picture

I’m a fan of Giza, as you can see from my icon. :-) Ziggurat is also on my list of favorite slabs.


dave bailey
19.Sep.2008 9.23am
dave bailey's picture

Chapparal!


Maverick18x
19.Sep.2008 11.00am
Maverick18x's picture

I think Chaparral is great, somehow the angles soften things a bit and make me forget it’s really a slab serif.


Miss Tiffany
19.Sep.2008 4.56pm
Miss Tiffany's picture

So who is creating a Slab Serif wiki page?


victor ivanov
20.Sep.2008 12.04am
victor ivanov's picture

kris : is there any sketches available for us to look at?


charliesk8er
20.Sep.2008 11.39am
charliesk8er's picture

I really enjoy Glypha. It is really smooth and is pretty versatile.


poms
20.Sep.2008 11.50am
poms's picture

>So who is creating a Slab Serif wiki page?
Then don’t forget PMN Caecilia.
Of course Clarendon rules all of this “genre”, hehe


kris
20.Sep.2008 3.24pm
kris's picture

Hey vicone, no sketches but here is a screenie of the weights:


Berg
20.Sep.2008 3.50pm
Berg's picture

I have used Caecilia and Serifa for some projects, I also like Glypha.
And now I am saving for Unit slab...


peter_monrad
21.Sep.2008 7.57am
peter_monrad's picture

Wow, a lot of great fonts on this page. I really like the more geometrical slabs like:

Stag

Prelo Slab

Guardian Egyptian Unfortunately not for sale

Polular Unfortunately not for sale

And FF ZIne and Lubalin Graph, which I have used for many projects.

I really think Archer can’t be a great and new alternative to the very used Serifa, Rockwell, Stymie etc. but I wish they would make a black/heavy weight of the font. Has anyone heard of plans of this? With Gotham they released a black version some time after the initial release.

Oh, and speaking of Black Slabbath have you seen Facebuster?


Gräfenberg
21.Sep.2008 12.50pm
Gräfenberg's picture

I have to say, still have a soft spot for good ol’ Rockwell and Memphis, although they lend a definite historical note. Lubalin Graph is so much like a slab-serif version of Avant Garde I can only use it in a similar way, and it’ll be a few years before I want to go that route! For a more modern feel I quite like Enclave.

Don’t have it but as I saw it just recently am currently in lust with Archer.

Since it was mentioned: Guardian Egyptian I’ve been seeing a lot of lately (partner’s newspaper) and I don’t like the light, but the italics I loathe. Overall I really don’t like the way they use it.

Personally I don’t really feel that bracketed serifs really belong in the same class as what I think of when I hear slab serif so definitely no Clarendon for me.


Maverick18x
21.Sep.2008 1.13pm
Maverick18x's picture

I just thought of Rockwell again this morning and was surprised nobody had mentioned it yet. I know it’s used a lot, but I think it’s an absolutely classic slab serif.


Therese Brockie
21.Sep.2008 1.28pm
Therese Brockie's picture

It has been mentioned. Multiple times. Including the two posts directly before your latest.

If you are going to start a thread it would be polite to read the replies.


Maverick18x
21.Sep.2008 2.25pm
Maverick18x's picture

Therese, I’ve subscribed to the RSS feed of every thread I’ve ever started on typophile. As far as I know, nobody had mentioned it yet when I checked my feed reader this morning. I just found it interesting that I’d think of it, go out the door, and see two posts relating to it when I returned home. Maybe you misunderstood me.


Therese Brockie
21.Sep.2008 2.42pm
Therese Brockie's picture

Actually, the first time it was mentioned was on the 18th. Maybe you should get a new feed reader.


Simon Robertson
22.Sep.2008 1.55am
Simon Robertson's picture

i have to agree with peter, Stag is amazing, i use it all the time, and Prelo Slab and Guardian Egyptian look great, and i’m seriously thinking of getting Facebuster... i just can’t think of a use for it right away... oh and yes, archer looks amazing too!

of the more ’classic’ slabs, i like Rockwell... a


Down10
25.Sep.2008 7.55pm
Down10's picture

I love the strict geometry of Lubalin Graph, but after recently working with the typeface on a job, I have to give it up for Caecilia. Very clean, without looking too turgid.


James Puckett
25.Sep.2008 8.56pm
James Puckett's picture

Aptifer. Too bad I never get to use it.


rubenDmarkes
26.Sep.2008 7.54am
rubenDmarkes's picture

Prelo does look pretty good, strange that I had never noticed it, seeing as it’s one of the only portuguese slab-serifs. There’s also Morgan Avec, but I think Prelo is more to my taste. Also, I just thought of Nexus Mix, which might be a nice, different choice.
Nice suggestions from everybody! Reminds me why we DO need typophile… :P


Simon Robertson
27.Sep.2008 2.57am
Simon Robertson's picture

i’ve heard about neutra slab being in the works... now that sounds great, but i haven’t seen any sketches or anything... maybe if christian or someone from house is on here they could give us an update? *wink wink* :-)


erichson
28.Sep.2008 7.19pm
erichson's picture

Simon: Neutra ’Slab’ (PDF link) courtest of Kris Sowersby.

I prefer Archer :)


Fredrik
3.Oct.2008 1.13am
Fredrik's picture

It seems there is a certain ’renaissance’ for the Slab, perhaps especially for the more humanist ones. Would you agree? Or am I reading too much into my own current predilection, seeing slabs just about everywhere?


Alessandro Segalini
3.Oct.2008 3.37am
Alessandro Segalini's picture

Last May a colleague wanted me to spot a typeface he loved, from The Central Saint Martin College of Art & Design, 1999 BA degree show catalogue ; it was ITC Officina Serif.


scottsullivan
3.Oct.2008 1.56pm
scottsullivan's picture

Archer, easy.

- Scott Sullivan
www.trifepdgm.com


scottymac
6.Oct.2008 11.28am
scottymac's picture

I’ll add Lexia and Farao to the mix. I really love Farao — just wish I could use it more. Something similar to Farao (without the worn edges) that I’ve used is Quadra 57.