Responses by Paul Barnes, type designer, Commercial Type.
Background: When we made Caslon Doric back in 2019, we had planned it as a sprawling superfamily where the parts—Condensed, Regular, Extended and Wide—all did something differently, just like the original sans families of the 19th century. We included lots of idiosyncrasies and peculiarities. Despite its popularity, we had more than a few requests to make it a little more normal and uniform.
In 2022, we decided it would be a challenge to make Caslon Doric into a variable font, which gave us a chance to reevaluate the family so it would all fit together and work. And so, New Doric was born. We like to think of it as Caslon Doric remade in the 1950s at the time of Folio, New Haas Grotesk, Universe and other so called neo-grotesques. This is Caslon Doric for a more corporate world.
Design thinking: We took the original and started sanding away the more obvious characteristics of the face, yet retaining enough character that it didn’t become just another neo-grotesque. We also reduced the size of the family, so no super lights or super heavy weights.
Challenges: Designing the italics, and making the transition between the flat sided condensed and the round side regular and extended widths seem seamless.
Favorite details: We think that while New Doric offers something different, it retains enough of the character of Caslon Doric without becoming too bland. I don’t think New Doric will stop Caslon Doric being the right choice for many designers, and vice versa.
Time constraints: Without a specific client, the project perhaps dragged on longer than any of us would have wanted.
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