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The original idea was to create a typeface that is similar to a self-portrait. Prell is a font that reflects the
artist'… read more
The original idea was to create a typeface that is similar to a self-portrait. Prell is a font that reflects the artist's personality. The design is cheeky and flirtatious, but also conservative and deliberate. The fine curves show a poetic and artful approach whereas the classic proportion of the character is a telltale of constructive thinking. Representing a transition between artistic creativity and classical geometrical thinking, Prell can be used for body text as well as headlines, logos and posters.
Prell comes with a vast amount of OTF features, Alternates and Ligatures, check out the Sample PDF to learn more.
Prell comes with a vast amount of OTF features, Alternates and Ligatures, check out the Sample PDF to learn more.
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About the Designer Norbert Prell
Growing up in an artistic family, Norbert Prell was confronted by art and creativity at an early age. This laid the
foun… read more
Growing up in an artistic family, Norbert Prell was confronted by art and creativity at an early age. This laid the foundation for his aesthetic appreciation and paves the way for his design career. Initially trained as a graphic designer at the art school in Pécs and the Hungarian University of Fine Arts in Budapest, he then developed great interests in typography and font design. In 2010, he became an Erasmus student in the Department of Media Technology/Design Department at the HAW Hamburg (Hamburg University of Applied Science) to learn typography and calligraphy.
http://prellnorbert.blogspot.de/
http://prellnorbert.blogspot.de/
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Interview with Norbert Prell
A short description about you?
I come from an artistic family. At an early age, I was already confront… read more
I come from an artistic family. At an early age, I was already confront… read more
A short description about you?
I come from an artistic family. At an early age, I was already confronted by creativity and therefore laid the foundation for my aesthetic interest and appreciation. This obviously paves the way for my design career. I am especially interested in identities, logos and complete corporate identities. These aspects also got me into typography and font design. I began my training as a graphic designer at the art school in Pécs. In 2006, I advanced my studies at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts in Budapest. In 2010, I was an Erasmus student at the HAW Hamburg (Hamburg University of Applied Science)–Department of Media Technology / Design Department.
A short description about your font?
The original idea was to design a font that would reflect my personality. This font should look cheeky and flirtatious, but also conservative and deliberate. At the same time, it should be suitable for body text as well as headlines and logos. A dear friend of mine once said that I succeeded in making a font that resembles me: it’s not perfect but it’s lovable.
What was your inspiration?
I had never designed a font before, and I knew that it alone would be a very difficult and tedious job. I was not directly connected to anyone outside my immediate circle, and I had to look elsewhere for support and expertise. This was one reason why I wanted to become an Erasmus student in Hamburg. I wanted to learn typography and calligraphy. Then I met Jovica Veljovic. He taught me many things and showed me the basics and perspectives of type design. He really inspired me.
What would you state is the main characteristic elements of Prell?
The main characteristic elements of my font are given by its curves that are present in every letter. These fine curves show an almost poetic, artful approach whereas the classic proportion of the character is a telltale of a rather constructive thinking. Thus, we could call my font a transition between artistic creativity and classical geometrical, mathematical thinking–A transition between body fonts and creative designer fonts. I would use this font for logos, identities and posters in the first place, because its characteristics are better recognized for this usage. But at the same time, it is functional as a body type and can be used for various publications including books.
How did the design of Italics come into your mind?
While designing the font, I put lots of thoughts into the need for italics. Is it really necessary for a sans serif font to have real italics, or is it enough for it to have obliques (fake italics) only? In the end I thought I’d let the user decide, thus I designed a set of italics (for the characters a, e, g, k, l, y) as a stylistic alternate in addition to the oblique version.
When did you decide to publish Prell?
I noticed later that I could sell my font too. In fact, as a graphic designer I always received inquiries about my font. People asked me which font I have used for my logos, so I thought, well why not publish the typeface anyway?
What problems have you encountered?
To get a feel for the approach and process, I have spoken with many typographers, and they all advised me to simply get started in order to acquire the skills. Type design has much to do with our own findings, patience and perseverance. The biggest problem I have encountered was the fact that my script never gets finished. One can always improve the work and refine it again and again indefinitely. This is perhaps similar to a self-portrait. It can always be adapted to our own ideas and changes, and then be refined. In the end, it will never be 100% ready.
How did you get into font design?
One important aspect about my typeface is that I’m not trained as a typographer, but a graphic designer.
During my education we had a lot of old-fashioned professors. We had to learn punctuality and precision as well as to redesign many of the “classic” fonts with ink, ruler and compass, such as Bodoni, Gill, Helvetica, Trajan, Futura, etc. The computer was taboo. This was my first experience with typography. That’s why I have got to learn and internalize a lot of fonts from scratch.
After my six-year training, I advanced my education at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts. In the course of my studies, at some point I was aware that fonts are the building blocks of design. Hence, I think that owning a typeface is one of the greatest creative challenges for a designer. This issue was then also addressed in my dissertation. Owning a script should be honored at the end of the study.
Why owning a script?
In 2008, I had to develop a corporate design for myself, with logo and so forth. Alas, I was not able to find a font that I like or suit my identity in which people could associate me with. That was when I realized that developing my own font is due. My goal was to create a font that is similar to a self-portrait.
I come from an artistic family. At an early age, I was already confronted by creativity and therefore laid the foundation for my aesthetic interest and appreciation. This obviously paves the way for my design career. I am especially interested in identities, logos and complete corporate identities. These aspects also got me into typography and font design. I began my training as a graphic designer at the art school in Pécs. In 2006, I advanced my studies at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts in Budapest. In 2010, I was an Erasmus student at the HAW Hamburg (Hamburg University of Applied Science)–Department of Media Technology / Design Department.
A short description about your font?
The original idea was to design a font that would reflect my personality. This font should look cheeky and flirtatious, but also conservative and deliberate. At the same time, it should be suitable for body text as well as headlines and logos. A dear friend of mine once said that I succeeded in making a font that resembles me: it’s not perfect but it’s lovable.
What was your inspiration?
I had never designed a font before, and I knew that it alone would be a very difficult and tedious job. I was not directly connected to anyone outside my immediate circle, and I had to look elsewhere for support and expertise. This was one reason why I wanted to become an Erasmus student in Hamburg. I wanted to learn typography and calligraphy. Then I met Jovica Veljovic. He taught me many things and showed me the basics and perspectives of type design. He really inspired me.
What would you state is the main characteristic elements of Prell?
The main characteristic elements of my font are given by its curves that are present in every letter. These fine curves show an almost poetic, artful approach whereas the classic proportion of the character is a telltale of a rather constructive thinking. Thus, we could call my font a transition between artistic creativity and classical geometrical, mathematical thinking–A transition between body fonts and creative designer fonts. I would use this font for logos, identities and posters in the first place, because its characteristics are better recognized for this usage. But at the same time, it is functional as a body type and can be used for various publications including books.
How did the design of Italics come into your mind?
While designing the font, I put lots of thoughts into the need for italics. Is it really necessary for a sans serif font to have real italics, or is it enough for it to have obliques (fake italics) only? In the end I thought I’d let the user decide, thus I designed a set of italics (for the characters a, e, g, k, l, y) as a stylistic alternate in addition to the oblique version.
When did you decide to publish Prell?
I noticed later that I could sell my font too. In fact, as a graphic designer I always received inquiries about my font. People asked me which font I have used for my logos, so I thought, well why not publish the typeface anyway?
What problems have you encountered?
To get a feel for the approach and process, I have spoken with many typographers, and they all advised me to simply get started in order to acquire the skills. Type design has much to do with our own findings, patience and perseverance. The biggest problem I have encountered was the fact that my script never gets finished. One can always improve the work and refine it again and again indefinitely. This is perhaps similar to a self-portrait. It can always be adapted to our own ideas and changes, and then be refined. In the end, it will never be 100% ready.
How did you get into font design?
One important aspect about my typeface is that I’m not trained as a typographer, but a graphic designer.
During my education we had a lot of old-fashioned professors. We had to learn punctuality and precision as well as to redesign many of the “classic” fonts with ink, ruler and compass, such as Bodoni, Gill, Helvetica, Trajan, Futura, etc. The computer was taboo. This was my first experience with typography. That’s why I have got to learn and internalize a lot of fonts from scratch.
After my six-year training, I advanced my education at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts. In the course of my studies, at some point I was aware that fonts are the building blocks of design. Hence, I think that owning a typeface is one of the greatest creative challenges for a designer. This issue was then also addressed in my dissertation. Owning a script should be honored at the end of the study.
Why owning a script?
In 2008, I had to develop a corporate design for myself, with logo and so forth. Alas, I was not able to find a font that I like or suit my identity in which people could associate me with. That was when I realized that developing my own font is due. My goal was to create a font that is similar to a self-portrait.