Gallery: A Custom Font That Helps Kids Learn to Read and Write
Illustrations by Castledown School01castledown0
London design studio Colophon Foundry created the Castledown font for Castledown Primary School in East Sussex, England.
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The font was commissioned with a big goal: Help students improve their reading and writing skills. It comes in multiple variants. Here you see the regular cut, a clean and mature version that will be used in all official letters and school materials.
Illustrations by Castledown School03castledown4
The cursive version is based on how children actually write. Little flicks at the end of the letters mimic where the pen lifts from the page.
Illustrations by Castledown School04castledown2
The font was designed after the Colophon designers observed students during their handwriting exercises. Each letter was based on the actual motion of handwriting and has been translated into writing exercises.
Illustrations by Castledown School05castledown6
Here, the cursive variant up close. Notice how the "s" is a departure from the regular cursive version. To modernize the font, Colophon opted to make this letter and the "z" more like its printed counterpart.
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If the font reminds you of Comic Sans, that's because the designers took inspiration from the internet's favorite punching bag of a font. Colophon tried to rationalize Comic Sans, giving the font's friendly handwriting aesthetic some logic and maturity.
