Presenting Rivea, My Latest Font

Remember this little post from way back in 2013? Well it’s taken two years to complete, but that project is finally a functioning typeface! Her name is Rivea and she is actually a family of two calligraphy fonts; one that stands upright and the other that, well, twists!

I started by inking two sets of letterforms; the letters themselves are nearly identical but by twisting and lengthening the exit-strokes of one set, two very different fonts emerged.

Rivea Upright’s vertical stance is angular and kinetic – the letters appear to jump across the page as you type. Contrast between the thick and thin areas of ink is dramatic. For a calligraphy script, Upright has an unusual, almost masculine vibe.

Rivea Twist, on the other hand, flows like a river. The effect is languid and even though the hairline portions of the letters are thin, the wide downstrokes make words easy to distinguish at a distance. I think Twist creates beautiful logos and signage, especially for businesses with an organic focus.

Both fonts are loaded with Opentype features; each includes eight different ampersands, a swash feature that automatically substitutes beginning & end of word letters, alternate swashed capital letters, alternate lower letters, old style numerals, arbitrary fractions and six common word-art prepositions as well as six common honorifics. (i.e. words like ‘for’, ‘and’ & ‘the’ or ‘Mr.’, ‘Mrs.’ & ‘Dr.’) All of the Opentype features have been duplicated in Stylistic Sets for Microsoft Word 2010+ users. (For more info on Stylistic Sets, click here.)

I have to say, my favorite attribute of these fonts are the sets of bold, extended swashes & fancy capital letters… These swooping lines look amazing on wedding invitations and in logos.

So if you’ve been on the hunt for a convincing faux-calligraphy font, your search is over! Pick up a copy of Rivea Twist or Rivea Upright for just $36 from my shop here. Can’t wait to see what you create!