I've updated the Bryan Font again, with some key updates:
Q
A key missing character from my initial font research was the uppercase Q. I made my best guess based on the shape of the O, and the tail of the R. I finally found a good example last week, and while I wasn't far off, I wanted to update the character to represent his stylistic choice of a longer tail:
This also shows how the start and end of strokes can differ. The round stroke of the Q starts light, and then larger at the end where there is some ink bleed. However the tail starts thick and becomes lighter as it's lifted off at the end.
ẞ and ß
In v1.1 II added the lowercase sharp S 'Eszett' character (ß), but not the 'newer' uppercase ẞ. I've been researching and gathering opinion on the uppercase character for a while, and while I don't have access to experts like Erik Spiekermann, but my friend Marc Thiele does! Their view was that it wasn't necessary (ugly even) and I felt my Dad wouldn't have used such a modern glyph.
People have still been asking for it, though, and this YouTube video on the Capital Sharp S makes a good case for one. There are different use cases for SS and ẞ, but they're separate characters in the font. So it makes to add an uppercase ẞ to the set as well, which also makes the font feel more complete to me. I've also added a stylistic alternative for the lowercase ß, which doesn't include the bar. My dad would've used this extra flourish, but for those who prefer a simpler ß, the option is there.
Bryan Signature
I've also added a discretionary ligature for my dad's signature (typing 'Bryan'), and made a Br ligature for this in the process. Here are all the additions to this version:
Endnote
While didn't blog about it, v1.2 featured the following changes:
- Fixed discretionary ligatures (superscript 's)
- Added all numerals (precomposed fractions, fraction components, old style figures, superior & inferior numerals)
- Added new symbols for ￥, ¤, ❡, §, †, ‡ ,©, ™️ and ®
- Added stylistic alternatives for lowercase T and Z
- Many tweaks to glyph's appearance spacing and weight, including a new version of ß