Trilby’s jumping off point is the nineteenth century French Clarendon. This
genre is characterized by its backwards arrangement of thicks and thins: the
typically-dominant vertical stems are lightened, and the thick horizontals and
serifs create a railroad track effect across the page. While Manicotti is cheesy,
over-the-top, and stereotypically Western, Trilby isn’t. In Trilby, I pushed
aside the French Clarendon’s usual showy excess, and focused on the effects of
unconventional weight on an open, contemporary letter structure. Trilby’s subtlety
also makes it surprisingly versatile. While most reversed stress faces are limited
to a few words on a poster, Trilby can set paragraphs. It is cuter and quainter than
your average slab, and transcends mere novelty as a wholly useful contemporary
design with eccentric charm and subtle wit.
