Always expect the unexpected from Petr van Blokland. Widely regarded as a visionary and one of the great thinkers in our field, Van Blokland not only produces typefaces, but also develops tools for both type and graphic design and ponders the very nature of design activity. As a type designer, he is deeply invested in typographic history and theory, managing to imbue design systems with elegance and beauty. This is evident in his releases to date: Proforma and Productus are a versatile duo consisting of serif and sans-serif companions, Bitcount is the definitive programmatic modular bitmap typeface, and the future-friendly Upgrade reimagines the humanist sans-serif model for contemporary use with variable font technology in mind.

Given the gravitas of his output so far, Van Blokland’s wonderful new release may catch many type lovers off guard. PowerLift is an audacious, single-weight display slab serif. The design seems to channel hints of the Push Pin aesthetic while remaining undeniably its own thing, rooted firmly in the now. Van Blokland obviously had fun drawing this one-off. While lesser designers might have struggled with the very bold weight, he fearlessly embraced the challenge of combining extremely heavy letterforms with chunky serifs. Ingenious shifts in weight solve thorny problems; in other places, Van Blokland simply allows apertures to close up and letterforms to fold into themselves, creating unexpected counters where traditionally there should be openings. PowerLift’s additional Outline style gives the gutsy glyphs extra impact.

If you want to bring in the fun(k) and lend your display typography some extra oomph, try PowerLift. Use it in moderation—or not. Like all TYPETR fonts, PowerLift 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 TYPETR, subscribe to Type Network News, our occasional email newsletter featuring font releases, foundry happenings, type and design events, and more.