“He just highlighted AVATAR, he clicked the dropdown menu, and he just randomly selected Papyrus… like a thoughtless child…”
—Steven Wingdings
In between things right now
Los Angeles, CA
Here is a small collection of unique typeface designs that were created during a ten-year season of my career when I was all in with type and handlettering. Along with Papyrus and award-winning Blackstone, these original creations are available for purchase at MyFonts by Monotype.
25% of my font sales and royalties will be donated to my favorite charity, HOPE worldwide, at the end of each calendar year.
BLACKSTONE
Papyrus’ jealous and deeply disturbed cousin, Blackstone evokes dragons, pirates, and dark magic. Inspired by Papyrus and created only four years afterwards, all that is goth was the goal of this design which was a winner in the Second Annual Chartpak Designer Typeface Competition. Blackstone is available in two styles with additional characters, alternates, and dingbats. All Hallows’ Eve Special, 20% off!
Blackstone Family
(2 fonts) from $33.75 +20% off through November 5!
LETTERPRESS TEXT
Letterpress Text is based on the popular and timeless Caslon design and was carefully digitized from the pages of one of my early 19th century books. For the characters not found in the book, I created new ones that were faithful to the structure and style of the family. Used as a text font, The Letterpress Text Family successfully reproduces the appearance of old world letterpress lithography.
In 2022, I granted material use rights to the producer of the FX/BBC TV Miniseries, Great Expectations, a Hulu Original. Letterpress Text appears in Season 1 (2023) on background dressing items, signs, labels, papers, props, and other type graphics in the set decorations, subtly enhancing the period vibe. I think Charles Dickens would be proud.
Letterpress Text Family
(6 fonts) from $22.75
MIRAGE
I designed Mirage using ink and a calligraphy brush to evoke the writing styles of ancient and exotic civilizations. After completing the project, it was filed and forgotten. About 15 years later, I was sifting through some of my old art files and found a “photostat” of the entire character set… a truly a magnificent archeological discovery. Then I thought, hey, maybe it’s day has come. Why not share it with the world? Try this unique and versatile font as a calligraphic option for travel, history, or greeting card themes.
Mirage
from $28.75
VIRUS
Virus was inspired by a laser printout of a book cover design I created where the font that I used in the subhead was corrupted. I designed the entire character set from a single train of infected characters. Virus is surprisingly legible in spite of its mutations so let your imagination run loose with this one.
Virus Family
(2 fonts) from $28.75
PAPYRUS
Papyrus is a unique typeface that effectively merges the elegance of traditional Roman letterforms with the hand-crafted feel of calligraphy. Inspired by ancient Mediterranean culture and the Bible, it has a number of distinctive characteristics including high horizontal strokes, rough edges, and sweeping curves. It also includes an additional set of extreme swash initial caps to enhance its unique style. Purchase the full version with character options not available with preinstalled Mac and Windows fonts.
Papyrus Std Regular
from $40.99
Chris Costello 