ITC Oldrichium
Spirited, unaffected and buoyant, the ITC Oldrichium type family pays homage to the calligraphy and typeface designs of Czech designer Oldrich Menhart. “I came upon one of Menhart’s typefaces over a decade ago,” says George Thompson, designer of ITC Oldrichium. “I’ve been collecting examples of his work ever since.”
Thompson was born in Chicago and grew up in north-west Indiana. “While I’ve been an educator and general graphic designer for over 30 years, lettering and type design have always been an important part of my work,” he says. Thompson now spends much of his free time designing typefaces.
ITC Oldrichium is a subtle melding of the shapes and proportions of Menhart’s Manuscript typeface, the energetic strokes of his calligraphy, and Thompson’s own design skills. The result is a distinctive, powerful, and exceptionally versatile typeface family. Available in Light, Regular, Demi Bold and Bold weights, with corresponding italics for all but the Bold, ITC Oldrichium is comfortable setting both text and display copy. In addition to the basic weights, Thompson has created an Engraved version for those times when an especially powerful statement is called for.