F37 Nifty is a surprising display sans serif, that brings joy to any type it sets. It is exciting, lively and packed full of character, exemplifying Alec Tear’s unique design and lettering style.
We wouldn’t call it crazy, but Alec has defiantly broken conventions we would otherwise take for granted. The boundaries of the characters are defined by a stroke, creating white letter forms with a black boundary. The boundaries are broken in a thoughtful way to create depth, as if the letters fold around themselves. And if you still aren’t satisfied, F37 Nifty’s italics are an intertwining and never-ending rhythm of strokes, blurring where one letter ends and the other begins. The character set is also brimming with emojis, symbols and alternate characters all matching the unique style of F37 Nifty. With all of these features, F37 Nifty is a truly unique tool ready to provide a rich and vivid typographic palette to any designer.
F37® × Alex Tear
• F37 Nifty
• Styles 18
• 2023
The Designer
Alec Tear is an independent British designer and lettering artist who partners with creative agencies, brands and other independent specialists all over the world to produce beautiful, effective and original design solutions.
After gaining an extensive background in branding, packaging and creative problem-solving at acclaimed design agency Jones Knowles Ritchie, Alec set up his own practice where he combines his experience of working with brands of all sizes, with his unwavering passion for lettering art which ultimately drives the bold and typographic nature of his work.
F37 Nifty
Interview
Tell us about the inspiration behind your collaboration with F37®×. If it was an unused concept, what was the potential use case for it.
Nifty originated from a simple thumbnail sketch I drew of a lowercase 'g'. I was particularly interested in the idea that strokes didn't necessarily have to define the positive space of a letter; they could also serve as outlines to accentuate negative space. I was pleasantly surprised by the expressive capabilities of this drawing technique, and quickly mapped out a complete alphabet, uncovering numerous potential solutions for each character.
When starting the process of creating your font, what typographic conventions did you look to break or experiment with? Or were there conventions of functionality you championed?
Nifty breaks quite a few different typographic conventions, whilst retaining a sense of familiarity and legibility, making it adaptable for a range of different uses. In particular it explores innovative approaches to counter forms, letter boundaries, and italic possibilities. One of its distinctive features is that as the line weight increases, the letters paradoxically appear lighter.
Now that your typeface has launched, what would be your dream project to use your F37® typeface on?
I'd love to see Nifty used for festival branding. Partly because it feels so fun and carefree, but from a functional standpoint I think it would work well as legible, yet eye-catching wayfinding in physical spaces, that could be easily replicated with stencils and paint.
What have you learnt through developing and creating your own typeface(s) with our F37® type designers?
I have learnt that it's harder than it looks to develop a script style font. Luckily for me, Ryan Williamson, was a wizard in this area and had the scripted italics flowing seamlessly in no time.
How would you describe your typeface in three words?
Playful. Charming. Squishy.
F37 Nifty Font Sampler
