Dalli



Dalli, not unlike Tap, not unlike Tap, preserves a rough contour and utilises irregularities to produce fluid and harmonious lines. In this case, however, the handwriting style is deliberately pushed almost to the point of illegibility in some places. This is primarily implemented using a large number of ligatures and alternative letters, which are added automatically by means of OpenType features. For instance, there is a ligature nn, which can also be used for nu, un or uu, just as in real life. Therefore ‘Dalli, Dalli’, in two bolds!


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Georg Salden comes from a time when every character was still drawn by hand and every correction had to be made meticulously with a brush. It took weeks, even months, until a single typeface was ready to be produced as a photocomposition model. This is hardly imaginable today. Also the written templates of the Dalli were enlarged and overdrawn, varied and corrected. The irregularities do not sit indiscriminately anywhere, but only where they benefit liveliness and legibility. The result is a well-balanced typeface that retains all the rough-contour charm of throw down handwriting.

Dalli OpenType Expert fonts are equipped with alternate characters and ligatures that enhance the impression of handwriting. These alternates are accessible via OpenType features.

Often, the letters of a handwriting can only be recognised from the context. Dalli imitates this effect by using identical forms for n and u for an, au, en eu, nn, nu, on, ou, un and uu.