Condensed slab serifs for Shōnen Jump / Hiroyuki Nakano by Bethany Heck

Question

I've been trying to ID the slab serifs in this lovely layout designed by Bethany Heck.

I'm pretty sure "Hiroyuki Nakano" and "tankobon" are in the same family, since the structure of the "a" looks the same. "HIGHEST QUALITY" might be in that family, too. The closest I found was Rama Slab C, but it's missing some of the nice details like the hook on the "r," the notch at the top of the "t," and the tail of the "Q."

As for "SHONEN JUMP"... I'm guessing it's a different family. The closest I found was Ballast from XYZ Type on Future Fonts. But my favorite detail, the terminal of the "J," is not quite the same.

I'm also starting to suspect these typefaces may not have been widely released yet, although this image is a few years old. What do you guys think?

Comments

Very nice. Where did you find the image? The date and source may be helpful to identifying the type.

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Wild guess as a start: something unreleased from Kris Sowersby. He digs this style, and Bethany really digs his type.

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The image is from her portfolio: https://heckhouse.com/work/shonen-slab-hijinks/

I’m not sure that helps much, but it seems to have been a one-off design to try out the typeface, so the design isn’t used anywhere else.

 

And yes, I wouldn’t be surprised (and who can blame her? His typefaces are incredible!). She frequently tests out his new typefaces before they’re released. Interesting that he posted that specimen! The S is certainly distinct and matches this image; most of the slab serifs I’ve seen in my search don’t have that smooth transition into the serif for the “S.” 

Maybe I’ll just have to be patient and be excited that he might have such a handsome slab serif in the works.

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Here's Kris’s tumblr:
Klim Type Foundry: https://klim-type.tumblr.com/post/178588610009
Klim Type Foundry: https://klim-type.tumblr.com/post/178588574534

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Well done, Ryan! Post that as an answer!

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:thumbs-up:

Answer 1

Here's Kris’s tumblr:
Klim Type Foundry: https://klim-type.tumblr.com/post/178588610009
Klim Type Foundry: https://klim-type.tumblr.com/post/178588574534

Comments

It's a lovely thing! Let's hope it's in the works at Klim for later release. In the meantime, you might like Ballast, A2 Sunday Clarendon, or Egyptienne.

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Klim just released the type as Mānuka.