Letraset’s loose reinterpretation of Belwe-Antiqua (Schelter & Giesecke, 1913)
was started in 1976 with Light, Medium, Bold, and [Bold] Condensed.
[Reichardt/Hoefer] [Daines 2016] (Letraset’s 1994 catalog
indicates that the Condensed style came later in 1979. [Letraset 1994]) All styles feature a
Venetian ‘e’ and an ‘a’ with top serif. In the metal original,
these features are only present in the fett (Black).
Other differences in the revival include a splayed ‘M’, an ‘A’
without top bar, and ‘V’/‘W’ without base serifs. The family was
completed in 1981 with an Italic that again is only very loosely
based on Belwe-Schrägschrift (1914).
Digitizations by ITC, Bitstream, Adobe, Scangraphic. ITC’s and
Scangraphic’s are the only digital versions to include an Italic,
albeit without More…
Letraset’s loose reinterpretation of Belwe-Antiqua (Schelter & Giesecke, 1913) was started in 1976 with Light, Medium, Bold, and [Bold] Condensed. [Reichardt/Hoefer] [Daines 2016] (Letraset’s 1994 catalog indicates that the Condensed style came later in 1979. [Letraset 1994]) All styles feature a Venetian ‘e’ and an ‘a’ with top serif. In the metal original, these features are only present in the fett (Black). Other differences in the revival include a splayed ‘M’, an ‘A’ without top bar, and ‘V’/‘W’ without base serifs. The family was completed in 1981 with an Italic that again is only very loosely based on Belwe-Schrägschrift (1914).
Digitizations by ITC, Bitstream, Adobe, Scangraphic. ITC’s and Scangraphic’s are the only digital versions to include an Italic, albeit without the alternates for ‘bhkn’. While Scangraphic’s Italic matches a showing in the 1990 Letraset catalog, ITC’s is different in many details.
See also Belwe Mono.
