Robin Mientjes[ˈmiːn-chəs]

Antikva

When I was planning my graduation show from the KABK in The Hague, I knew I wanted to design objects, not plans for objects. I ended up making three dress shirts, enameled six pairs of cuff links, silkscreened seven neck ties and wrote a novella, and I designed a typeface to tie it all together.

So, lesson learned.

The typeface is, like all the other elements of the show, themed around the Balkan. The novella is a short story about a circus of Slavic expats, and so a Slavic typeface was the logical choice. I dove into the oeuvre of Oldřich Menhart, a type designer and calligrapher from former Czechoslovakia. His Manuskript Antikva, made in 19431, has a distinct calligraphic bent but still follows the Antiqua model, and I knew it to be perfect for typesetting my story.

  1. Burian, according to Devroye