Ambersonius was a group project during my master Typeface Design at Reading in 2016 made by me and my fellow students Jawaher Alali, Shani Avni, Zenab Bastawala, Calvin Kwok, Rob Pratley, Manuel von Gebhardi.

This design was formed during a four day workshop entitled “What is a revival?” held in February 2016. The group assignment was composed of an analysis of two 1472 Venetian models (from before the ‘fixing’ of Latin typographic conventions by Jenson),
and the development of a “revival” typeface. It was concluded with a presentation of the results. Our main challenge was one of translation. This involved finding a balance between the preservation of the paragraph atmosphere and making delicate design decisions informed by critical analysis of visual details. Throughout the work process we found ourselves contemplating the meaning of the term ‘revival’, discussing the spectrum that lay between staying faithful to an original source – and adjusting it in an authentic and philological manner – or using it as an inspiration for a new creation.