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Quister, the first solo project from Swiss designer Nadia Knechtle, is an immensely readable font that glides off the
pa… read more
Quister, the first solo project from Swiss designer Nadia Knechtle, is an immensely readable font that glides off the page effortlessly. The name is a combination of "sister" (a play on the typewriter brand Brother) and the designer's own studio name, Quersicht. Originally inspired by the old typewriting machines from her father, the font also features distinct subtleties: a rounded serif and a slightly narrow character shape. The result is a seriously beautiful font with a touch of the sophistication of yesteryear.
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About the Designer Nadia Knechtle
Nadia Knechtle is a typographer and graphic designer living in Bäch, Switzerland. After the apprenticeship as a
typogra… read more
Nadia Knechtle is a typographer and graphic designer living in Bäch, Switzerland. After the apprenticeship as a typographic designer, including tutelage under the font designer Bruno Maag, she started the studio Quersicht together with sister Andrea in 2001. The company develops design concepts and solutions for corporations, institutions, non-profit organizations and public affairs in print and internet media. With passion as their goal, the designer sisters have designed anything from brochures, publications, logos, stationaries, CD covers and websites.
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Interview with Nadia Knechtle
You live and work together with your sister under the name Quersicht in Bäch, Switzerland. Do you work together… read more
You live and work together with your sister under the name Quersicht in Bäch, Switzerland. Do you work together on the projects or are there individual responsibilities? And how did you divide the tasks in developing the font?
In the day-to-day graphic work, we mostly work together on projects. We work in similar ways so that complements each other well. We'll begin a project similarly then throw the ball back and forth, like a ping pong game. The font Quister is my solo project. Of course, we discussed the characters frequently and I was really grateful for Andrea's opinion.
How did the original drawing of Quister (then Nadia Serif) happen? Font design does not seem to be the primary focus of your work...
It's true. But as a typographic designer, the subtle implementation of fonts is important for me. Until now, my typographic work consisted of the selection, evaluation and combination of several fonts and their optimal use in a graphic product. In my own font project, it was exciting to create the subtleties of an optimally readable and beautiful-looking font from the beginning, and to improve them step by step. As I do with photography and illustration for design projects, drawing a font is another way to focus on the basic elements of good design.
The development of the Nadia Serif font to the final font "Quister" was an intensive process. Were there important moments where you would say were important for the font or for you, or was it simply fluid and constantly refined?
I only took certain characteristics of the Nadia font, such as the round serif and the rather narrow characters. But I drew each letter anew in Illustrator, then refined them in the program Font Lab step by step. Drawing for me is like shaping a sculpture. You have a certain form in your mind, and to refine the small details is hard work. In addition to the creative skills, you also need a systematic procedure, which goes together with my work principle.
Did you ever consider giving up on the project?
There have been times when I thought: I can never finish this project! But my ambition wouldn't allow me to give up. And I have to say: Mika Mischler from Gestalten gave me great support. With really constructive criticism, he helped me to bring forward the font step by step.
Was there any specific inspiration for the Quister font or what was your intention to draw a font with the appearance of a typewriter?
My source of inspiration was originally my father's typewriter, which is where I also learned the touch system as a teenager. I liked the strong serif which seemed round due to the imprecise print. These round serifs are now a feature of Quister. It was obvious to me that I wouldn't do a "real" typewriter font with monospaced kerning. My goal was to develop a well-constructed text font with typewriter elements.
In your saved PDF I copied this sentence. "In Font design the basic character of the alphabet is defined by coherent shaped forms." How would you use this to describe your font? What are, for you, the typical characteristics and how can you distinguish your font from the others?
Quister has strong serfis, which are optically identical to the stems. The round serifs – a specialty of Quister – gives the typeface an elegant and smooth look. The slight appearance is conveyed through narrow characters with a high x-height. A typical characteristic is the self-contained transition from rounds into straight lines – for example in "a", "f", "r" or "s".
How did you arrive at the name Quister? We google searched the term "Quist" outside of Adrian Quist (1913–1991), an Australian tennis player, nothing really came up...
I wanted to call the font Sister or Sistar, after the typewriter brand Brother. With the "Q" of Quersicht, the name Quister was born. If I ever create more typefaces, I'd look at more names with "Q".
What would you say the strengths and qualities are of Quister? Can you imagine a particularly good application of it or are there no wishes on your part how you could envision the font?
I see the application especially in editorial design. In combination with one or several other fonts Quister can give fine accents. Or in corporate projects, where a light and elegant, but also strong and self-contained appearance is asked. I don’t have really a wish about the use of the font Quister.
What is your history as a designer?
I did a four-year apprenticeship as a typographer. During this time I studied at a creative professional highschool for design. I then finished my degree as a typographic designer in Zurich, which included a workshop with the fontdesigner Bruno Maag. Practically, I collected experience in a print shop, an advertising and PR agency and in a design studio. Since 2001, I have been running my own business with Quersicht together with my sister. I also work as a freelancer in a design studio in Zurich.
In the day-to-day graphic work, we mostly work together on projects. We work in similar ways so that complements each other well. We'll begin a project similarly then throw the ball back and forth, like a ping pong game. The font Quister is my solo project. Of course, we discussed the characters frequently and I was really grateful for Andrea's opinion.
How did the original drawing of Quister (then Nadia Serif) happen? Font design does not seem to be the primary focus of your work...
It's true. But as a typographic designer, the subtle implementation of fonts is important for me. Until now, my typographic work consisted of the selection, evaluation and combination of several fonts and their optimal use in a graphic product. In my own font project, it was exciting to create the subtleties of an optimally readable and beautiful-looking font from the beginning, and to improve them step by step. As I do with photography and illustration for design projects, drawing a font is another way to focus on the basic elements of good design.
The development of the Nadia Serif font to the final font "Quister" was an intensive process. Were there important moments where you would say were important for the font or for you, or was it simply fluid and constantly refined?
I only took certain characteristics of the Nadia font, such as the round serif and the rather narrow characters. But I drew each letter anew in Illustrator, then refined them in the program Font Lab step by step. Drawing for me is like shaping a sculpture. You have a certain form in your mind, and to refine the small details is hard work. In addition to the creative skills, you also need a systematic procedure, which goes together with my work principle.
Did you ever consider giving up on the project?
There have been times when I thought: I can never finish this project! But my ambition wouldn't allow me to give up. And I have to say: Mika Mischler from Gestalten gave me great support. With really constructive criticism, he helped me to bring forward the font step by step.
Was there any specific inspiration for the Quister font or what was your intention to draw a font with the appearance of a typewriter?
My source of inspiration was originally my father's typewriter, which is where I also learned the touch system as a teenager. I liked the strong serif which seemed round due to the imprecise print. These round serifs are now a feature of Quister. It was obvious to me that I wouldn't do a "real" typewriter font with monospaced kerning. My goal was to develop a well-constructed text font with typewriter elements.
In your saved PDF I copied this sentence. "In Font design the basic character of the alphabet is defined by coherent shaped forms." How would you use this to describe your font? What are, for you, the typical characteristics and how can you distinguish your font from the others?
Quister has strong serfis, which are optically identical to the stems. The round serifs – a specialty of Quister – gives the typeface an elegant and smooth look. The slight appearance is conveyed through narrow characters with a high x-height. A typical characteristic is the self-contained transition from rounds into straight lines – for example in "a", "f", "r" or "s".
How did you arrive at the name Quister? We google searched the term "Quist" outside of Adrian Quist (1913–1991), an Australian tennis player, nothing really came up...
I wanted to call the font Sister or Sistar, after the typewriter brand Brother. With the "Q" of Quersicht, the name Quister was born. If I ever create more typefaces, I'd look at more names with "Q".
What would you say the strengths and qualities are of Quister? Can you imagine a particularly good application of it or are there no wishes on your part how you could envision the font?
I see the application especially in editorial design. In combination with one or several other fonts Quister can give fine accents. Or in corporate projects, where a light and elegant, but also strong and self-contained appearance is asked. I don’t have really a wish about the use of the font Quister.
What is your history as a designer?
I did a four-year apprenticeship as a typographer. During this time I studied at a creative professional highschool for design. I then finished my degree as a typographic designer in Zurich, which included a workshop with the fontdesigner Bruno Maag. Practically, I collected experience in a print shop, an advertising and PR agency and in a design studio. Since 2001, I have been running my own business with Quersicht together with my sister. I also work as a freelancer in a design studio in Zurich.