Constroke

Strictly geometrically constructed character forms with an even stroke width

The combination of the words constant and stroke results in the name for this typeface. The idea behind it: to construct letters according to geometric principles — without correcting the inevitable optical imbalances and unsightly thickening. So place the horizontal line in the H really in the middle, instead of raising it a bit like in “good” typographical manner. And with the E, all three dashes stay the same length. The round shapes are really circular too. And then I also ignored the basic typographical rule that says that the vertical stems must be thicker than the horizontal hairlines to appear equally bold to our eyes. The visible thickening that occurs when two lines cross or converge is simply accepted with the Constroke.

Against the rules

It is not because of our supposedly “modern” present that good rules are no longer relevant. However, they are only effective under certain conditions. If you look at the font at an angle and from the side, it suddenly doesn’t matter whether and how balanced the characters are. The distortion we then perceive makes all artistic and technical efforts pointless. An O viewed at an angle is just a distorted oval, whether drawn optically correctly a little taller than it is wide, or whether the stem is a little thicker than the hairline. With the straight shapes, the effect is even more pronounced: viewed from an angle, the difference in line widths appears absurdly reversed, making what was just thick appear thin and thick what should be thin.
But it wasn’t just such theoretical considerations that made me break the good old rules. The sheer joy of breaking the rules and ignoring perceived necessities such as ink traps allows for an informal approach to assembling the characters from a few basic geometric building blocks.

Typical CONSTROKE

The main feature of the Constroke is the constant stroke width. Especially in the heavier weights, veritable blots are created when two lines meet, for example at n, m, w, etc. The thickest weight results from the small e with its horizontal line in the middle, the one without optical compensation would merge into a round black dot from a certain stroke width.

Another typical feature of almost all geometric fonts is the round small a.
A true circle appears wider than it is tall, which is usually compensated for in character design. Not so in Constroke. The circular and therefore a bit too wide letters a b c d e g o p q are the characteristic distinguishing feature compared to other sans serif fonts.

Extras

Many characters are also available as stylistic alternates. This gives the font a completely different look.

A total of 7 style sets and unusual ligatures invite you to play with alternate forms.
Constroke also includes tabular figures, circled numerals and directional arrows.