Welcome to Typogram’s FontDiscovery newsletter, written by your resident font and design nerd, Hua. Each issue is full of visual examples, and the best view is on the browser. You can also read it on our blog.

Hey there 👋,

Did you have a good weekend? This past weekend, I celebrated Chinese New Year. It was nice to relax and reflect. In 2020, I was so nervous about sharing my writing publicly. Now, I am so happy I am doing this! Thank you so much for being here to support me.

Every week, we profile a new font and dive into trends, facts, and how-tos about using it. Welcome to our seventh profile!

Today we have:

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Big Bold Ultra

Upon the first look, you would suspect Ultra to be a serif.

And you would be kind of right!

Ultra is a specific kind of serif, called slab serif. A slab serif has thick, block-like serifs. Initially, printers used woodblock printing process to create slab serifs.

When advertising started booming in the early nineteenth century in the US, slab serifs became popular because they caught customers’ attention with their strong appearances. Nowadays, you can find them in various settings like lifestyle magazines and food branding. 

There is no doubt that Ultra is a close cousin of the newspaper slab serifs you see above. However, if we look at the curved tail in the lowercase “a” and ball terminals in lowercase “y”, we can conclude that Ultra is perkier and friendlier than most slab serifs.

It’s perfect for a children’s book, a call-out quote in a fashion magazine, or a new kind of grocery store. If you are creating a friendly brand in the editorial space, give Ultra a try!

How to use Ultra

Logo
The ball terminals make the font very organic, almost like it’s bearing fruits. Great for friendly brands.  

Typography System 
This font is attention-grabbing, great for marketing and social media. It is most optimal in large sizes.

Cautiously Avoid

Avoid using body text or anything small. 

You Made it!

That’s all folks. Ultra is available here.

Before we say goodbye, I want to know what you think of our content so far. Was there anything confusing? Is there something specific you want me to cover? Reply directly to this email to let me know your thoughts. I want to create content you enjoy!

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Have a lovely week and see you in the next issue!

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