Designed by Barbara Bigosińska
Distributed by Blast
Font family: 8 weights, 2 styles, and 2 sub-families. 32 static fonts + 2 variable fonts
This font review was originally written in Galician, the official language of Galicia, which has been spoken for over 2000 years and is now used by more than 2 million people. English translation below.
Sharf ve a luz en 2021 dende a incubadora de Future Fonts. Aquela versión 0.1 contaba xa con unha fonte variable, que permitía navegar o espazo de deseño entre os distintos pesos da tipografía. Nace con dous tamaños ópticos, cunha clara intencionalidade de uso en deseño editorial.
As diferenzas de ambos estilos, un para Texto e outro para Títulos, son evidentes e engaden unha capa de singularidade á familia tipográfica. Mentres o deseño da versión para Texto se mantén dentro do previsible, a subfamilia para Títulos sorprende pola súa estrutura condensada e remates excepcionalmente finos. Neste segundo estilo, os caracteres parecen estar envoltos cun trazo de grosor case uniforme, mentres os remates e algunas liñas accesorias se afinan ata case desaparecer.
As excentricidades de Sharf son especialmente visibles nas itálicas, o seu deseño atrevido non deixa indiferente. As terminacións parecen querer quebrarse para logo expandirse de maneira inesperada. Estas peculiaridades son un absoluto acerto dende o meu punto de vista, se ben parecen estar algo contidas na súa rareza.
Resulta desconcertante e marabilloso ao tempo que a familia tipográfica me leve a lugares e referencias tan diversas. Os pesos máis finos do estilo para Texto teñen un algo da tipografía holandesa de finais do século XX; os pesos grosos fan que viaxe a outro tempo e a outro lugar, evocando un clásico, a Bookman. O estilo para Títulos, tráeme de volta ao presente, con formas e contrastes que exploran novas posibilidades, afastándose das referencias históricas e abrazando o «miximalismo».
The first release of Sharf happened in 2021 through the platform Future Fonts. This initial version already featured a variable font that enabled users to navigate the design space and customise the weight. The typeface was offered in two optical sizes, intended for editorial design.
The noticeable differences between the Text and the Headline styles contribute to the uniqueness of the type family. The Text version retains conventional forms, while the Headline sub-family is distinctively condensed and features very thin serifs. In this second style, the characters are presented with a main stroke of nearly uniform thickness, while the serifs and some accessory paths are so delicate that they seem to disappear.
The eccentricity in Sharf is particularly noticeable in the italics, which shows a bold and adventurous design. The characters’ terminals appear to break at certain points before suddenly expanding. These unique characteristics are a clear success to me, even though the unusual terminals seem somehow restrained in their oddity.
I am both puzzled and amazed by the diverse references in the design. The structure in the thinner weights of the Text sub-family reminds me of late 20th-century Dutch typefaces. The bolder weights take me to a different place and time to evoke a classic, Bookman. Finally, the Headline sub-family brings me back to the present. The shapes and contrast explore new possibilities, moving away from historical references and embracing a “miximalist” approach.