Bakemono: A Unique and Versatile Typeface by Francesco Canovaro

Bakemono is a unique and versatile typeface created by Francesco Canovaro as an exploration of the design space surrounding the duality of fixed and proportional widths. He was particularly interested in the concept of monowidth design, which is inherent in monospaced typefaces, and how it can bring flexibility and ease of use to proportional type. The design of Bakemono combines the principles of mechanical typewriter technology and the intuition of Eastern brush calligraphy, which has been dealing with fixed space grids for centuries. The name of the typeface comes from the Japanese shape-shifter yokais that could change their form freely between human and animal, and it aptly describes the metamorphic nature of this wide superfamily, which comes in proportional, monospace, and intermediate subfamilies. With its unique design that mixes the expansion principles of the brush with the sharp technicality of typewriter and system fonts, Bakemono is suitable for both text and display size, with its regular widths optimized for legibility and its uncommon design details that make it stand out.