TYPE DESIGN PROCESS
BD Megalona is our first typeface designed for body text. Previously we designed Kage, Qene-G, and several typefaces for display purposes.
We read Revival Type by Paul Shaw and decided to try to create letters according to the rules of visual perception, aesthetics, and legibility.
Inspired by the elegance, consistency, and hard work of Times New Roman and Garamond pulls up our minds and wants to bring both typographies in one old-style letterform that is born nowadays.
The elegances are applied to the Swash feature in this typeface. Adobe users can access them in the OpenType window by clicking the Swash button for uppercase letters and the Contextual Alternate button for lower case letters. We deliberately did a little modification button in lower case swashes to make it easier for users when applying it in paragraph text.
We take a careful approach in adjusting metrics and kerning between letters to get good legibility. In addition, we also put a modern touch by adding stylistic sets to give a choice of formal and informal impressions for the user when designing their project.
Taste, shape adjustment, and experimental are three words for this typeface. It was born big and charming. BD is the initials of our studio Balibilly Design. Mega means prominent represents the number of glyphs in this typeface, and Lona from characteristics means alluring and full of ideas.
BD Megalona Consisting of 26 fonts 13 weights with matching true italics forms. Feature an extended charset of over 1800 glyphs, covering 219 languages using Latin, Cyrillic (basic to extended), and Greek.
Included advanced open-type like Ordinals, Standard and Discretionary Ligatures, Case-Sensitive form, Small Capitals, Small Capitals From Capitals, Denominators, Fractions, Lining Figures, Numerators, Old Style Figures, Proportional Figures, Scientific Inferiors, Slashed Zero, Subscript, Superscript, Tabular Figures, Stylistic Alternates, Stylistic Set 01, Stylistic Set 02, Swash, Alternate Annotation Forms, and Contextual Alternates.
BD Megalona provides a range of choices that will give luxury vibes in symmetrical layouts with selective deviations and work well in a stylish look for typography projects.
Long story short, We built a vintage workspace named Balibilly Design Studio located in Canggu — Bali. Our studio in a row with coffee shops, bar, restaurants, and close to Berawa Beach. Here we designed and produced t-shirts, print media, and anything we do base on our client’s brief. After, We joined the type foundry community called Bali Stock Designer in November 2019. The community embraced and opened our mind to take the rule of typography.
If we look at history, many beautiful typefaces have been created from the past centuries. So why do we recreate? The answer is because of our ego in expressions whose aims to supply the necessity of design nowadays while still in the corridor traditions as a source of our inspiration. We wouldn’t say in what style we will stop. We are on our way to explore the essence of typography and innovate with experience to advance our foundry.
We make raw materials. If our studio is the kitchen, we are the cooks who make the main menu. Then the graphic designer will serve it to get aesthetic looks and appetizing. Trends come and go, and the typography approach results in a wide variety of unexpected letterforms. Whatever comes to our minds, and when it is poured out, it will certainly remain within the rules of the letterforms.
We want to thank the readers who have visited this article. Hopefully, we will meet again in the next project and article.
Greeting from Bali :)
