Roy Kuhlman's Hand-Lettered Typeface Revived in Contemporary Digital Font
A new digital font inspired by Roy Kuhlman's hand-lettered designs has been introduced, achieving surprising commercial success. The initiative was envisioned by Steven Brower in collaboration with Craig Welsh, while David Jonathon Ross handled the technical aspects. Launched in November via Ross's Font of the Month Club and other distributors such as Type Network, Adobe Fonts, and Fontstand, the typeface has already been adopted by the L.A. Dodgers, a CNN documentary featuring Bad Bunny, a theater company, and a soft drink brand. Brower describes Kuhlman's style as timeless and instantly recognizable, previously labeled 'Beat,' and suggests it may draw influence from Ben Shahn's lettering. Ross highlights the font's expressive power and its variable width axis with OpenType alternates, appealing to modern designers, regardless of their knowledge of Kuhlman.
Key facts
- The Kuhlman typeface is a digital revival of Roy Kuhlman's hand-lettered work.
- Steven Brower initiated the project with Craig Welsh, and David Jonathon Ross developed the font.
- The font was released in November through the Font of the Month Club.
- It has been adopted by the L.A. Dodgers, a CNN documentary on Bad Bunny, a theater company, and a soft drink.
- Kuhlman's original hand-lettered typeface was described as timeless and once seen as 'Beat.'
- Brower suggests Kuhlman may have been inspired by Ben Shahn's lettering.
- The font features a variable width axis and OpenType alternates for design flexibility.
- Distributors include Type Network, Adobe Fonts, and Fontstand.
Entities
Artists
Institutions
- Print Book Club
- L.A. Dodgers
- CNN
- Center Theater Group
- Font of the Month Club
- Type Network
- Adobe Fonts
- Fontstand
- PRINT Magazine