Graphic Downloads

Bonsai Font Family

In an old handbook on bonsai—the Japanese art of dwarfed potted trees—I noticed the type was bad. Old worn lead type, I suspect, spread wide at the tops of characters and nearly disappearing at the bottoms. But far from being a distraction, I found this top-heavy text somehow warm, familiar, and easy on the eyes. Inspired, I made a typeface. (Didn’t take me long to decide on a name for it either: a name with a double-meaning, based both on its look and its inspiration.) Bonsai’s roman and true italic styles work well at small point sizes or in display situations. Use to evoke a curiously retro feel—like déjà vu.