Kent Lew’s Whitman, a staple in the world of typography, is embarking on a new journey with a significant upgrade, rechristened now as Whitman Text. Celebrating its 21st anniversary, this refresh promises to bring more versatility, improved aesthetics, and expanded language support to an already beloved typeface.
A new chapter for Whitman Text: Kent Lew’s masterful upgrade
Honoring the past, embracing the future
Reflecting on the journey of Whitman Text, Lew shared, “I wanted to ensure that the essence of Whitman remained intact while making it more versatile and robust for modern use. This upgrade is about honoring the past while embracing the future. It represents the culmination of many small adjustments over the past two decades, for my own professional use as well as commissioned additions.” This philosophy is evident in the harmonious balance between the original design’s integrity and the new enhancements.
For the original design, Lew found inspiration in the works of W.A. Dwiggins and Eric Gill. Lew treated classical design traits with a spartan finish to create the award-winning Whitman, honored in 2002 by the Type Directors Club. Balanced in text, distinguished and impressive in display, Whitman stands out with its simple elegance—both familiar and distinct. With a thoughtfully refined concept and meticulous attention to detail, the original Whitman is a workhorse to the discerning typographer’s toolkit.
The heart of the upgrade
Whitman has long been a favorite among designers for its classic elegance and readability. This upgrade doesn’t just enhance these qualities but builds upon them. One of the key improvements is the extended Latin language coverage, making the typeface more accessible and functional for a broader range of languages and uses. The expansion includes additional diacritics, ensuring that Whitman Text remains a top choice for multilingual projects.
Whitman Text’s new figure styles also deserve mention. They add flexibility and creative freedom, allowing designers to have more control over the typographic elements of their work. In addition to the original old-style and lining figures, Whitman Text now features matching tabular figures. The full range of numerator/denominator and superior/inferior figures can handle everything from arbitrary fractions to footnote calls and chemical formulas (including valence symbols). Book designers will appreciate the matching superior/inferior letters on various alignments, as well as less-common symbols like the permanent paper symbol, for a comprehensive set of tools to meet diverse design needs.
A bright future for Whitman Text
Kent Lew’s upgrade of Whitman Text is a celebration of the typeface’s legacy and a commitment to its future. For those who have loved and used Whitman over the years, this is an exciting opportunity to rediscover an old favorite with new possibilities.
As Lew aptly puts it, “This isn’t just an upgrade; it’s a new chapter in the Whitman story, one that I’m excited to finally make available to the broader design community.” With these improvements, Whitman Text continues to be a timeless choice for designers, now with even more tools at their disposal.
All Kent Lew fonts are available for print, web, applications, and ePub licensing. Web fonts may be tested free for thirty days; desktop trials are available upon request. To stay current on all things Kent Lew, subscribe to Type Network News, our weekly email newsletter featuring designer profiles, case studies, type and design events, and more.
A former book designer and creative director, Kent Lew has been designing type since the early 2000s.
Whitman Text can be licensed for print, web, mobile apps, and ePubs. Webfonts may be tested for thirty days, and desktop trials are available upon request. Have a licensing question? Check out our support page or get in touch.
Kent Lew: A legacy in design
Kent Lew’s journey in design is as storied as the typefaces he creates. After graduating from Willamette University with a degree in Art, he initially worked as a graphic designer and illustrator. Growing up in a family of writers and editors, Lew naturally gravitated toward the design of words and text. This led him to book design and eventually to a role as creative director at Storey Publishing. Today, Lew focuses primarily on type design, font engineering, and typographic consulting.
Lew has provided design and production assistance to prestigious firms such as the Font Bureau, Carter & Cone, and Morisawa. His first typeface, Whitman, was awarded a Certificate of Excellence in Type Design by the Type Directors Club in 2002 and was published by the Font Bureau the following year. The versatility of Whitman led to the creation of Whitman Display and Whitman Banner, styles commissioned by notable publications including the Minneapolis Star Tribune, New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal, and Fortune. More recently, Lew designed the Haffner Text font family for TIME magazine’s 2015 redesign, adding Haffner Display styles for the 2021 refresh.