TF, 2 letters that signify at the same time Type Foundry and Typographie Française (French Typography). 205TF is a type foundry that brings together the work of independent typeface designers, some of them well known, others closer to the beginning of their career, all highly talented. Each of them developing characters where a certain French spirit can be felt. 205TF is a foundry on a human scale, and beyond the distribution of their work, it supports typeface designers by making their creations available to a wider audience, allowing for greater recognition of their work.
205TF makes a choice of quality: a small number of creators, a precise selection of characters. The number is of little importance, the quality however is essential.
All of the characters are developed according to common standards (set standard, set pro and set spécial). The typefaces have – at a minimum – an extended set of characters (Latin extended) and this allows them to be used for compositions in a wide range of languages. With an Opentype format, they provide access to specific characters such as small capitals (according to the characters), different series of figures (aligned, old style, proportional and tabular), ligatures, fractions, etc.
This format allows access to specific typographic settings according to the characters. - For the group of characters – functions “All caps”, “Case sensitive punctuation”, “Tabular lining figures”, “Tabular old-style figures”, “Proportional old-style figures”, “Ligatures”, “Fractions”, “Ordinals”, “Contextual alternates”, “Localized forms”, etc.
For certain characters — “Small capitals”, “Capitals to Small Capitals”.
The presentation and interest of each function are detailed in the typeface specimens that can be downloaded for each typeface.
The groups of characters function with both MacOs and Windows platforms and have been tested for Office and Adobe applications. They can then be easily installed on the vast majority of computers and the direct transfer of a file that uses 205TF typefaces from one platform to another and from a Macintosh version of software to a Windows version of software is a process which is seamless.
For cases involving a specific and/or proprietary operating system or specific software, please contact us directly.
Team
Rémi Forte, Foundry Manager
As Foundry Manager, Rémi Forte supports 205TF’s type designers in the development of their projects. He is also in charge of the foundry’s communication and customer relations.
Alongside his work for 205TF, Rémi is developing a practice-based research thesis in the TransCrit Research Unit (University of Paris 8), which follows his studies at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts (ENSBA) in Lyon, and Atelier national de recherche typographique (ANRT) in Nancy.
He also teaches graphic design and typography.
Damien Gautier, Founder and Partner
Cofounder of 205TF in 2017, Damien Gautier is codirecting the foundry’s operations and contributing to the catalogue as a type designer. His typefaces are available exclusively at 205TF, such as Maax, Plaak, Plaax, Alcalá or Beretta.
Florence Roller, Founder and Partner
Cofounder of 205TF in 2017, Florence Roller is codirecting the foundry’s operations. She leads with Damien Gautier the graphic design studio Bureau 205 and the publishing house Éditions deux-cent-cinq. Coauthor of 3 manuals on visual identity, posters and typography, she holds a degree from the École supérieure des Arts du Rhin in Strasbourg (HEAR).
New releases are carefully selected every year by the team and its advisory board, comprised of Matthieu Cortat, Thomas Huot-Marchand and Alice Savoie. They stand for a level of quality that our customers deserve and look for.
Matthieu Cortat is a type designer. He has designed several custom typefaces for clients, such as Eastpak, Caran d’Ache, the City of Lausanne, the Terminal Four at JFK Airport in New York or the TV channel Eurosport. He is Head of Master Type Design at the University of Art and Design Lausanne (ECAL). His typefaces are exclusively available at 205TF, including the most recent ones Zénith, Cosimo, Helvetius, Yorick or Molitor.
Thomas Huot-Marchand divides his time between teaching, type design and graphic design. Since 2012, he is Director of the Atelier national de recherche typographique (ANRT) in Nancy. A former resident of the Académie de France in Rome – Villa Médicis in 2006–2007, then at the Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography of Pasadena from May to July of 2019, he is now living and working in Besançon, where his activity as a Graphic Designer has developed mainly in the cultural sector. He has been a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI) since 2010. The typefaces of Thomas Huot-Marchand are exclusively available at 205TF, such as Album, Garaje, Minérale or Minuscule.
Alice Savoie is an independent type designer and researcher. She holds an MA and a PhD from the University of Reading. As a practicing type designer she has collaborated with international foundries and design studios. Her recent type design works include Faune, an award-winning typeface family for the French Centre national des arts plastiques. She teaches at ANRT in Nancy (France) and ECAL in Lausanne (Switzerland). 205TF distributes her typeface Romain 20.
Charly Derouault, Alexis Faudot and Federico Parra regularly collaborate with the foundry as graphic and type designers.
Roxane Gataud did work with 205TF from 2016 to 2020 as a type designer and font engineer.
Thomas Leblond, a graphic designer, participated in the creation of the foundry in 2017.
We look forward to possible font proposals. Please do not hesitate to contact us for sharing your projects.
Maax Unicase is a new extension of the Maax type family. It is clearly a titling variant that asserts a certain originality by having only capital letters which occasionally borrow from the forms of minuscule letters. Available in two weights – Bold and Black – this version presents a design which is particular in a number of areas, and its use will not go unnoticed. Damien Gautier has for example made the choice to emphasize certain details present in the original typeface and to emphasize its originality when compared to other available sans-serif typefaces.
Like the Maax typeface, this Unicase version also has alternative characters. Although fewer in number, they allow for a large number of variations and to adjust the silhouette of words. This typeface will clearly be suitable for the composition of titles and the creation of logotypes.
To distinguish it even further, the accents and all of the diacritical marks have a particular design. Particularly thin and not very cumbersome, they make it possible to reduce line-spacing and to obtain a dense composition which is appropriate to the spirit of this typeface with its intentionally reduced letter-spacing.
Lowercases
Standard Punctuation
Default Figures
Tabular Lining Figures
Prebuild & Automatic Fractions
Superscripts/Subscripts
Nominators/Denominators
Ordinals
Mathematical Signs
Symbols
Standard Ligatures
Discretionary Ligatures
Accented Uppercases
Accented Lowercases
Ornaments
Arrows (ss01)
T (ss02)
E M N R T Y (ss03)
i (SS04)
& (ss05)
This standard corresponds to a set of characters that respond to the Extended Latin standard. It allows for the composition of a large majority of Western European languages. To do this, signs have been added to the standard latin alphabet, either through use of diacritic signs, or through construction of specific signs. The Extended Latin standard does not contain specific Cyrillic or Greek characters. The detail of the characters available for each typeface is presented in the typeface specimen that you can download from our website.
The list of languages in which it is possible to compose is in the specimen.
In order to further extend the possibi-lities of use of the Maax typeface, we have added an IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) phonetic version, useful for the composition of linguistic works. Like all IPA typefaces, this version of Maax only exists in Regular style.
This phonetic version adds to the fact that the Maax typeface is appreciated by graphic designers and publishers for its great versatility. On its own, it can be used for many purposes and situations. There is no need to change the typeface or combine it with a second one when specific characters are needed. Maax IPA completes the Maax type family, which already possessed a number of different variants.
Lowercases
Standard Punctuation
Default Figures
Proportional Lining Figures
Symbols & Mathematical Signs
Accented Lowercases
IPA Extensions
Greek
IPA Extensions Punctuation
IPA Extensions Symbols
IPA extensions Combining Marks
Arrows (ss01)
This standard corresponds to the Standard set to which are added specific signs depending on each typeface (alternative signs, stylistic signs, etc.) The detail of the available characters for each typeface is presented in the typeface specimen that you can download from our website.
Cardone, developed between 2016 and 2021 is a singular interpretation of early so-called Scottish modern faces, later called Scotch Roman. Specifically created for editorial design, this serif typeface seeks an ideal balance between elegance and robustness: its ample curves contrast with the brutality of its lines and the verticality of its axis.
The five weights of Cardone ranging from Thin to Bold each with its own italic have been designed separately so as to emphasize the uniqueness of their design. Without sacrificing the elegance of Scottish modern faces, each style is pushed to the point of extreme simplicity and efficiency, both in their structure and in every formal detail.
Functional and legible, the typeface has been designed mainly for use with running text. Nevertheless the constant thickness of Thin or, inversely, the stark contrast of Bold allows Cardone to stand out when used in titles.
To extend its efficiency to multiple uses, the Cardone type family is also available in a Micro version (Regular and Italic) intended for settings in smaller than eight points. The design displays forms that are radical, mechanical and straightforward.
For more unconventional applications, Cardone Micro has also been designed to be spectacular when used in large sizes.
Lowercases
Standard Punctuation
Caps Punctuation
Default Figures
Proportional Lining Figures
Proportional Old Style Figures
Tabular Lining Figures
Tabular Old Style Figures
Automatic Fractions
Superiors/Inferiors
Ordinals
Symbols & Mathematical Signs
Standard Ligatures
Discretionary Ligatures
Accented Uppercases
Accented Lowercases
Ornaments
Arrows
This standard corresponds to a set of characters that respond to the Extended Latin standard. It allows for the composition of a large majority of Western European languages. To do this, signs have been added to the standard latin alphabet, either through use of diacritic signs, or through construction of specific signs. The Extended Latin standard does not contain specific Cyrillic or Greek characters. The detail of the characters available for each typeface is presented in the typeface specimen that you can download from our website.
The list of languages in which it is possible to compose is in the specimen.
Tifo takes its inspiration from the lettering that can be found on the banners brandished by the most fervent tifosi (supporters) during football matches.
Emerging in Italian stadiums in the early days of the Years of Lead, these supporters showed their support for their favorite team using banners, chants, and smoke bombs.
Initiated by Roman Tronchin in 2021 as part of the ECAL’s Master’s degree in Type Design, the Tifo typeface comes in five styles: Roma, Venezia, Bologna, Palermo, and Milano.
Romain Tronchin developed this typeface by carefully examining tifosi fanzines from the 1970s and 1980s, with each variant corresponding to a different style of lettering.
Some “oddities” visible in these vernacular sources–which could rightly be considered as typographic errors–were intentionally conserved. They provide Tifo with a singular and authentic character that is part of a long-standing tradition of typically Italian public lettering.
The five styles of Tifo share the same underlying frame, but each one “wears its own colors”!
With a geometrical construction, and a design reduced to elementary forms, the Roma (with square counterforms), Venezia (with its rectangular outlines and circular counterforms), Bologna (outline), and Palermo (stencil) styles are four versions clearly intended for titling, designed to be used in large sizes.
The Milano style, whose design is closest to the type family’s frame, is a polyvalent version that can be adapted for use as both titling and running text.
All of the styles share the same proportions, thus allowing graphic designers to easily combine the five versions in their compositions.
Latin Lowercases
Accented Uppercases
Accented Lowercases
Standard Punctuation
Caps Punctuation
Default Figures
Proportional Lining Figures
Tabular Lining Figures
Prebuild & Automatic Fractions
Superiors
Nominators/Denominators
Ordinals
Symbols
Mathematical Signs
Standard Ligatures
Ornaments
Arrows (SS01)
Tifo Venezia SS02: E G 2 5
Tifo Palermo SS02: A M m V v W w
Tifo Bologna SS02: A M m V v W w
Tifo Milano SS02: Z z 7
This standard corresponds to a set of characters that respond to the Extended Latin standard. It allows for the composition of a large majority of Western European languages. To do this, signs have been added to the standard latin alphabet, either through use of diacritic signs, or through construction of specific signs. The Extended Latin standard does not contain specific Cyrillic or Greek characters. The detail of the characters available for each typeface is presented in the typeface specimen that you can download from our website.
The list of languages in which it is possible to compose is in the specimen.
Could lone typeface with no serifs be enough for a designer? It is the basis of this seemingly uninteresting question that Damien Gautier really got down to work to develop this typeface with its multiple facets. Thanks to the OpenType format, he first developed 4 series. “Standard”: a set of characters that are intentionally all purpose; “Géométrique”: a set of characters with elementary forms that bring to mind the first typographic experiments of the Bauhaus; “Moderne”: domesticated forms that refer more to characters such as the Futura and the Nobel; “Grotesk”: here, more designed/drawn forms close to the intentions that were at the origin of characters such as Helvetica or the Akzidenz Grotesk. Four typefaces in one to some extent, accessible thanks to the “Stylistic set” function of the OpenType format.
Finally, the demonstration is made: with a single typeface, we can indeed have many possibilities!
Greek Uppercases
Lowercases
Greek Lowercases
Standard Punctuation
Caps Punctuation
Proportional Lining Figures
Proportional Old Style Figures
Tabular Lining Figures
Tabular Old style Figures
Prebuild & Automatic Fractions
Superscripts/Subscripts
Nominators/Denominators
Ordinals
Symbols & Mathematical Signs
Standard Ligatures
Accented Uppercases
Accented Greek Uppercases
Accented Lowercases
Accented Greek Lowercases
Ornaments
Arrows (ss01)
Geometric (ss02)
Modern (ss03)
Grotesk (ss04)
This standard corresponds to the Standard set to which are added specific signs depending on each typeface (alternative signs, stylistic signs, etc.) The detail of the available characters for each typeface is presented in the typeface specimen that you can download from our website.
Maax is a sans-serif typeface whose design possesses few optical corrections so as to give it a certain obviousness and authenticity. Consequently, certain counterforms are relatively small, and can even become clogged when its size is reduced, or when the medium upon which the typeface is printed makes for an imprecise result.
As its name indicates, Maax Micro is a variant of the Maax typeface, specially designed for use with small and very small sizes. Inktraps, invisible to the naked eye at sizes below 8 points result in more open counterforms. These traps are designed to function by “absorbing” the ink that would otherwise build up, clogging the counterforms.
The spirit of the original typeface remains intact. Maax Micro possesses exactly the same palette of signs as Maax, including the many alternative signs that make it so original. However, some will appreciate these surprising, sometimes extravagant forms, caused by the addition of these ink traps, modifying the principal function of this Micro version and setting the typeface in large sizes, using it as an original titling typeface.
Lowercases
Standard Punctuation
Caps Punctuation
Standard Ligatures
Discretionary Ligatures
Default Figures
Proportional Lining Figures
Proportional Old Style Figures
Tabular Lining Figures
Tabular Old Style Figures
Prebuild & Automatic Fractions
Superscripts/Subscripts
Numerators/Denominators
Ordinals
Symbols & Mathematical Signs
Accented Uppercases
Accented Lowercases
Ornaments
Arrows (ss01)
Geometric (ss02)
Modern (ss03)
Grotesk (ss04)
This standard corresponds to the Standard set to which are added specific signs depending on each typeface (alternative signs, stylistic signs, etc.) The detail of the available characters for each typeface is presented in the typeface specimen that you can download from our website.
Sarah Kremer’s Bartok redefines the very notion of a type family. Its four styles with their singular designs break with the principle of formal unity usually sought after in such families. Each variant stands out for its expressivity, contributing to the creation of a contrasted whole.
The development of Bartok was undertaken in the context of editorial design in order to propose a multifaceted typeface with only four styles. It has been designed to be used for long or short passages of straight text as well as for titles.
With the aim of proposing complementary typographic colors, the four styles of Bartok (Regular, Italic, Highlight and Poster) have been designed with different structures and possess distinct weights. Each variant develops formal specificities taken from different moments in the history of typography.
Inspired by Humanist typefaces, Bartok Regular is based on the proportions of typefaces derived from incunabula. Its asymmetrical serifs and slanted stems are characteristic of calligraphic script. Its squat counterforms combined with its stability give compositions both pace and balance.
Bartok Italic explores the calligraphic model of the chancery hand, to offer strong cursivity combined with a supple design, changes in direction and pronounced lines and angles.
The archetype of the early grotesques is visible in the Bartok Highlight: an assumed density, varying contrasts and non-orthogonal terminals.
The details of Bartok Poster, with its irregularities of alignment and varying angles, can be fully appreciated in large sizes. Its heavy weight, changing contrasts and roundness infuse it with a certain bonhomie.
Though these formal differences are quite pronounced, certain curves and details are echoed from one style to another. The general proportions of the typefaces (x-heights and cap heights) have been harmonized so that they can be combined easily and naturally.
Lowercases
Standard Punctuation
Caps Punctuation
Default Figures
Proportional
Lining Figures
Proportional
Old Style Figures
Tabular
Lining Figures
Tabular
Old Style Figures
Prebuild & Automatic Fractions
Superiors/inferiors
Nominators/Denominators
Ordinals
Symbols & Mathematical Signs
Standard Ligatures
Accented Uppercases
Accented Lowercases
Combining marks
Ornaments
Arrows
This standard corresponds to a set of characters that respond to the Extended Latin standard. It allows for the composition of a large majority of Western European languages. To do this, signs have been added to the standard latin alphabet, either through use of diacritic signs, or through construction of specific signs. The Extended Latin standard does not contain specific Cyrillic or Greek characters. The detail of the characters available for each typeface is presented in the typeface specimen that you can download from our website.
The list of languages in which it is possible to compose is in the specimen.
- [-100]
- [-100] Italic
- [-90]
- [-90] Italic
- [-80]
- [-80] Italic
- [-70]
- [-70] Italic
- [-60]
- [-60] Italic
- [-50]
- [-50] Italic
- [-40]
- [-40] Italic
- [-30]
- [-30] Italic
- [-20]
- [-20] Italic
- [-10]
- [-10] Italic
- [0]
- [0] Italic
- [+10]
- [+10] Italic
- [+20]
- [+20] Italic
- [+30]
- [+30] Italic
- [+40]
- [+40] Italic
- [+50]
- [+50] Italic
- [+60]
- [+60] Italic
- [+70]
- [+70] Italic
- [+80]
- [+80] Italic
- [+90]
- [+90] Italic
- [+100]
- [+100] Italic
Exposure borrows the eponymous principle from photography, using it to question the possibilities offered by variable fonts in a completely original way. While studying at the Atelier national de recherche typographique (Nancy, France), Federico Parra Barrios took a very unique approach to the technique, developing a singular typeface between 2019 and 2022.
Available in Roman and Italic, Exposure is a remarkable feat — both technically and in terms of drawing — that shows how other ways of exploiting variable font technology are possible.
While variable fonts — which appeared in 2016 — are considered to be a major development in typography, the use of axes of variation to modify weight, set-width, and optical size are all transformations inherited from previous techniques. Federico Parra Barrios breaks away from this conventional approach to propose a new way of thinking.
Exposure’s axis of variation ranges from –100 to +100, and gives a feeling of adjusting the intensity of the light to which the typeface is exposed, thus affecting its outline. Some might see this as a nod to another, now defunct, technique: phototypesetting.
At zero, the typeface is sharp and crisp. As the index decreases, the font becomes increasingly underexposed. The typeface seems to deform and becomes overwhelmingly black. The counterforms are filled almost to the point of illegibility.
Conversely, as the index increases, so does the light intensity. The original line is somehow overexposed until parts of it vanish as if burned by the light.
Federico Parra Barrios has carefully sculpted many intermediate designs in-between these extremes. In its static version, Exposure is also available in 21 different intensities of light. With the variable version, the user is free to select the index according to their needs and, of course, dynamically exploit the technology to create animations.
Latin Lowercases
Standard Punctuation
Caps Punctuation
Default Figures
Proportional Lining Figures
Proportional Old Style Figures
Tabular Lining Figures
Tabular Old Style Figures
Prebuild & Automatic Fractions
Superiors/Inferiors
Nominators/Denominators
Ordinals
Symbols
Mathematical Signs
Standard Ligatures
Accented Uppercases
Accented Lowercases
Accented Small Caps
Ornaments
Arrows (ss01)
This standard corresponds to a set of characters that respond to the Extended Latin standard. It allows for the composition of a large majority of Western European languages. To do this, signs have been added to the standard latin alphabet, either through use of diacritic signs, or through construction of specific signs. The Extended Latin standard does not contain specific Cyrillic or Greek characters. The detail of the characters available for each typeface is presented in the typeface specimen that you can download from our website.
The list of languages in which it is possible to compose is in the specimen.
Could lone typeface with no serifs be enough for a designer? It is the basis of this seemingly uninteresting question that Damien Gautier really got down to work to develop this typeface with its multiple facets. Thanks to the OpenType format, he first developed 4 series. “Standard”: a set of characters that are intentionally all purpose; “Géométrique”: a set of characters with elementary forms that bring to mind the first typographic experiments of the Bauhaus; “Moderne”: domesticated forms that refer more to characters such as the Futura and the Nobel; “Grotesk”: here, more designed/drawn forms close to the intentions that were at the origin of characters such as Helvetica or the Akzidenz Grotesk. Four typefaces in one to some extent, accessible thanks to the “Stylistic set” function of the OpenType format.
Finally, the demonstration is made: with a single typeface, we can indeed have many possibilities!
Cyrillic Uppercases
Greek Uppercases
Lowercases
Cyrillic Lowercases
Alternate for Serbian and Macedonian (SS05)
Alternate for Bulgarian
Greek Lowercases
Standard Punctuation
Caps Punctuation
Proportional Lining Figures
Proportional Old Style Figures
Tabular Lining Figures
Tabular Old style Figures
Prebuild & Automatic Fractions
Superscripts/Subscripts
Nominators/Denominators
Ordinals
Symbols & Mathematical Signs
Standard Ligatures
Accented Uppercases
Accented Cyrillic Uppercases
Accented Greek Uppercases
Accented Lowercases
Accented Cyrillic Lowercases
Accented Greek Lowercases
Ornaments
Arrows (ss01)
Geometric (ss02)
Modern (ss03)
Grotesk (ss04)
This standard corresponds to the Standard set to which are added specific signs depending on each typeface (alternative signs, stylistic signs, etc.) The detail of the available characters for each typeface is presented in the typeface specimen that you can download from our website.
Maax Mono is a variant of Maax “with a fixed set-width”. In order to emphasize its mechanical character, Damien Gautier has chosen to “harden” the strokes while intentionally, but not systematically, creating black “stains” in some areas, as if to recall the origins of typewritten typefaces. In addition to a particular rhythm specific to such typefaces, texts composed with Maax Mono possess a highly original color. Developed in direct relation with Maax, it could provide a variation when the latter is already being used. Their identical vertical proportions simplify the simultaneous use of the two typefaces.
Maax Mono is a type family originally composed of four styles—Regular, Italic, Bold and Bold Italic—more than enough for this intentionally rough typeface.
In 2021, Damien Gautier added two styles – Stencil and Semi-Stencil – increasing the range of use and scope of this typeface. In addition to developing a strong personality, these two new variants allow one to consider using the typeface as reversed type, or with stencils. With the arrival of these two new styles, Maax Mono could easily be used as a typeface for titles or for signage.
Lowercases
Standard Punctuation
Caps punctuation
Default Figures
Prebuild & Automatic Fractions
Superscripts/Subscripts
Ordinals
Mathematical Signs
Symbols
Standard Ligatures
Discretionary Ligatures
Accented Uppercases
Accented Lowercases
Ornaments
Arrows (ss01)
Æ Œ (ss02)
This standard corresponds to a set of characters that respond to the Extended Latin standard. It allows for the composition of a large majority of Western European languages. To do this, signs have been added to the standard latin alphabet, either through use of diacritic signs, or through construction of specific signs. The Extended Latin standard does not contain specific Cyrillic or Greek characters. The detail of the characters available for each typeface is presented in the typeface specimen that you can download from our website.
The list of languages in which it is possible to compose is in the specimen.
Could lone typeface with no serifs be enough for a designer? It is the basis of this seemingly uninteresting question that Damien Gautier really got down to work to develop this typeface with its multiple facets. Thanks to the OpenType format, he first developed 4 series. “Standard”: a set of characters that are intentionally all purpose; “Geometric”: a set of characters with elementary forms that bring to mind the first typographic experiments of the Bauhaus; “Modern”: domesticated forms that refer more to characters such as the Futura and the Nobel; “Grotesk”: here, more designed/drawn forms close to the intentions that were at the origin of characters such as Helvetica or the Akzidenz Grotesk. Four typefaces in one to some extent, accessible thanks to the “Stylistic set” function of the OpenType format.
Finally, the demonstration is made: with a single typeface, we can indeed have many possibilities!
Cyrillic Uppercases
Lowercases
Cyrillic Lowercases
Alternate for Serbian and Macedonian (SS05)
Alternate for Bulgarian
Standard Punctuation
Caps Punctuation
Proportional Lining Figures
Proportional Old Style Figures
Tabular Lining Figures
Tabular Old style Figures
Prebuild & Automatic Fractions
Superscripts/Subscripts
Nominators/Denominators
Ordinals
Symbols & Mathematical Signs
Standard Ligatures
Accented Uppercases
Accented Cyrillic Uppercases
Accented Lowercases
Accented Cyrillic Lowercases
Ornaments
Arrows (ss01)
Geometric (ss02)
Modern (ss03)
Grotesk (ss04)
This standard corresponds to the Standard set to which are added specific signs depending on each typeface (alternative signs, stylistic signs, etc.) The detail of the available characters for each typeface is presented in the typeface specimen that you can download from our website.