The cross-platform OpenType font format was seen as way out of the interminable font battles of the 90s, when TrueType and PostScript struggled to win the hearts and mind of designers. While it has succeeded in that regard, one of the more unexpected outcomes of the adoption of OpenType has been an exploration of the format’s creative potential. It has taken some years for this to evolve to full fruition but the recent release of Aerotype’s Keepsake script face is a reminder of just how far we have come.
The Keepsake font family contains five members that can be combined and overlapped to create a wide range of variations. Cool enough, but what really distinguishes it is a broad embrace of the possibilities afforded by the OpenType format, in this case in the form of contextual characters and ligatures, discretionary characters and stylistic alternates. Each face includes three options for every capital letter, as well as multiple lowercase options and special characters that automatically show up at the ends of words. Other features include four swashy decorative elements and optional old-style figures, all accessible by the OpenType menu in Creative Suite applications. More examples are shown below.
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