When Jan Maack decided to revisit Hendrik van den Keere’s Canon Roman, he knew he wanted a regeneration as opposed to a revival. Not satisfied to simply recreate letterforms, Maack aspired to capture the spirit of the typeface. The result, IvyPresto, is a crisper rendition of an old classic: a contemporary arrangement with transitional notes.

High contrast and sharp details paired with a large x-height and narrow proportions make this typeface ideal for large sizes: use Headline big and the higher-contrast Display even bigger. Tight letter-spacing means more message per meter, while the thin serifs and hairlines add a certain elegance to scales and sequences. Five toe-tapping weights and two optical sizes provide the flexibility to set the right tone in any composition. And if it’s body-work you need, don’t despair: a text version is planned.

Presto is a musical term that indicates fast tempo and it’s an apt moniker for this exuberant design. It’s also a reference to Hendrik van den Keere’s involvement in music printing: the G clef in the glyph set is a further tribute to that work. Look to Benton Sans and Nitti Grotesk to harmonize with the twenty variations of IvyPresto… together they can headline any event. Like all fonts from The Ivy Foundry, IvyPresto is available for print, web, applications, and ePub licensing. Webfonts may be tested free for thirty days; desktop trials are available upon request. To stay current on all things Ivy, subscribe to Type Network News, our occasional email newsletter featuring font releases, foundry happenings, type and design events, and more.