Playfair Display SC Font

Playfair is a transitional design. During the late 18th century European Enlightenment, broad nib quills were replaced by pointed steel pen as the most used writing tool. With the advancement of the printing press, inks, and paper, the taste emerged to print letterforms that have a high contrast and fine hairlines that are becoming more and more distanced from the written letterform. This design suits this period and even though it is not a re-creation of any particular design, it draws from the design of John Baskerville and the ‘Scotch Roman’ designs.

This typeface was released in 2011 and had a revision in 2017. As a fully developed Display (large size) design, belonging to the transitional type, it is functionally and stylistically compatible with Georgia or Gelasio for the body text. The complete Playfair design followed in 2023 is a variable font that supports the body text design in the optical size axis.