Aquavit: A New High-Contrast Sans Serif Font with an Art Nouveau Twist

German designer Felix Braden continues his exploration of typographic history with Aquavit, a high-contrast sans serif that draws inspiration from the flowing, organic qualities of Art Nouveau and the German Jugendstil movement.

Developed as a study in balance and restraint, Aquavit merges expressive letterforms with the structural clarity of a modern sans. Subtle calligraphic swashes and indicated serifs lend warmth and movement, while short extenders and a large x-height enhance legibility.

Felix’s design process began with the question of how far to push historical influence without sacrificing functionality. Using a broad-nib pen to test contrasts and stroke endings, he introduced small swashes that act as visual anchors, improving readability in small sizes while maintaining the ornamental spirit of its inspiration.

The Aquavit family includes nine weights, multiple numeral styles and extended language support. It’s available for purchase through Floodfonts, and is also included at no additional cost for Adobe Creative Cloud subscribers.

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