Weekend Type Header Weekend Type Header
Family overviewGarton Overview
Ornate Light
Ornate SemiLight
Ornate Regular
Ornate Medium
Ornate Bold
Plain Light
Plain SemiLight
Plain Regular
Plain Medium
Plain Bold
about

Garton emerged from a single typewritten letter, dated November 1, 1894, from the Garton Brewery in Bristol – a piece of ephemera that waited years in our archives before finding new life as a typeface. 

While typewriter fonts are a loved tool in designers' arsenals, few explore the potential for elegance within their mechanical constraints. Garton comes in two distinct styles: Ornate brings a refined and decorative element to the design, with curved strokes that soften its mechanical origins, while Plain offers a more conventional interpretation for versatile everyday use.

Each style is available in five weights with corresponding italics, and both include extensive OpenType features and stylistic alternates that expand their creative possibilities.
technical

Designed by: Hamish Makgill and Luke Charsley
Year: 2021
Glyphs: 688 
Encoding: Latin Extended

File Formats: OTF, WOFF, WOFF2

Version: 1.0
Source material
Letter from the Garton Brewery, Bristol
Excerpt
garton ornateornate
GRACE
garton plainplain
GRACE
Garton Plain • BoldBold
Uniformity
of quality
garton ornate • SemiLightSemiLight
Alexandra Albert Christopher Edgar Fuller Grace Herbert James Jessica Jimmy John Maxwell Norman Paul Ralph Richard Robert Sandra Steve Stewart Thomas Virginia
garton ornate • lightlight
GOLDEN
ALE
garton plain • bold italicbold italic
TONIC
BEER
Garton Ornate • italicitalic
Cash &
Carry
Garton Plain • italicitalic
…you will be
unwilling to
drink any other
Garton Ornate • MediumMedium
The creative mind requires both freedom and constraint, working within established patterns while discovering new possibilities for expression and understanding.
Garton Plain • regularregular
The path to understanding comes through direct experience, not through conversation alone. We must recognize that while the world appears chaotic, patterns emerge naturally through careful observation and thoughtful design. As creators and makers, we have the power to shape these patterns, to find meaning in complexity, and to build tools that transform how humans interact with their environment. The process requires both freedom and constraint, working within established forms while discovering new possibilities. Through this delicate balance of order and creativity, structure and spontaneity, we begin to see that everything is already connected - we simply need to reveal the inherent relationships.
Garton Plain • SemiLightSemiLight
The path to understanding comes through direct experience, not through conversation alone. We must recognize that while the world appears chaotic, patterns emerge naturally through careful observation and thoughtful design. As creators and makers, we have the power to shape these patterns, to find meaning in complexity, and to build tools that transform how humans interact with their environment. The process requires both freedom and constraint, working within established forms while discovering new possibilities. Through this delicate balance of order and creativity, structure and spontaneity, we begin to see that everything is already connected - we simply need to reveal the inherent relationships.
Garton Plain • SemiLight ItalicSemiLight Italic
The path to understanding comes through direct experience, not through conversation alone. We must recognize that while the world appears chaotic, patterns emerge naturally through careful observation and thoughtful design. As creators and makers, we have the power to shape these patterns, to find meaning in complexity, and to build tools that transform how humans interact with their environment. The process requires both freedom and constraint, working within established forms while discovering new possibilities. Through this delicate balance of order and creativity, structure and spontaneity, we begin to see that everything is already connected - we simply need to reveal the inherent relationships.
type tester