OBO Classic is the second installment of the OBO series, a type collection based on a square. Every character is mapped on a 1×1 ratio which allows for horizontal and vertical settings alike. Or mixed, like crosswords.
OBO Classic is a display interpretation of a traditional Old-style Serif. The “distortion” which maps each character to a square creates unusual proportions to what we are used to from classic serif typefaces. The result is a monospaced font. While each individual letter feels conventional on its own, when brought together in words the result feels contemporary. Thanks to the square base vertical and horizontal – and mixed – settings are possible and easy to apply.
There are a few exceptions for certain punctuation and special characters that are half the width for better spacing; and the word space’s width can easily be adjusted through OpenType stylistic sets. Talking about spacing, for strictly horizontal typesetting there is the option to turn on kerning for a number of characters to create a cleaner texture across words and phrases.
OBO Classic is best set in large sizes and is most comfortable in editorial and display settings. A series of icons complete the character set. A selection comes as pixel graphics which adds further contrast to the traditional legacy of the typeface.
