Perfectly Imperfect: Introducing Zabawa—The Northern Block’s Latest Handwritten Typeface

Designed by The Northern Block & Joanna Angulska

Zabawa is the result of a fresh and dynamic collaboration between Polish type designer Joanna Angulska and The Northern Block Type Foundry. This partnership combines Angulska's artistic sensibility with The Northern Block's technical prowess, creating a typeface that marries the charm of handwritten expression with contemporary flair. Their mutual passion for creativity and innovation shines through in Zabawa, making it a distinct and personal creation.

Crafted exclusively with a pointed brush, Zabawa showcases the beauty of imperfection. Joanna Angulska's creative journey in developing this unique typeface was guided by the brush, allowing for intuitive strokes and spontaneous design choices. She discovered something with its own life and story, feeling the shapes form and warp through analog sketching. The manner of holding the tool and the natural connections between letters were crucial. Single words served as a testing ground, and over time, a mantra emerged. With Joanna’s guidance, the pointed brush danced across the paper.

Paper. Pointed brush. Ink. For twelve months, seven hours each day.

Zabawa is a labor of love, embodying diligence and resilience. This handwritten typeface strives to find the perfect balance between uniqueness and universal familiarity. It reflects the diversity of individuals while maintaining the coherence of a complete typeface system. The aim was to bring the perfectly imperfect to life.

Joanna delved into her past, exploring old school notebooks to incorporate her natural handwriting quirks into the lettering. This DNA is evident where some lowercase letters resemble uppercase, and some uppercase letters appear as enlarged lowercase. This authenticity results in a natural, legible, and aesthetically pleasing typeface. Each letterform is infused with character, showcasing not only efficient tool use but also a touch of intimacy found in personal notes, fridge reminders, calendar scribbles, and margin doodles. Joanna sought to design a typeface that echoed personal handwriting, achieving a personal yet modern and functional feel.

Joanna explains, “The pointed brush determined the style of the typeface. Since most handwritten typefaces are about creating an illusion of being handwritten, Zabawa puts an emphasis on feelings that the writing style evokes, making it personal and authentic.”

Joanna's meticulous attention to detail is evident in every facet of the typeface. From its 42 unique ligatures, which took four weeks to perfect, to the twelve decorative ornaments and three stylistic sets, Zabawa offers versatility that goes beyond mere visual appeal. Boasting an impressive 936 glyphs, the typeface provides exceptional flexibility for creative expression. Zabawa's Contextual Alternates feature, cleverly coded to enhance its organic feel, ensures that each use remains fresh and dynamic by automatically substituting repeated characters, so no single shape appears too frequently in close proximity.

The name 'Zabawa' means 'Fun' or 'Play' in Polish, reflecting the typeface's lively and varied nature. With its bouncy baselines and energetic slant, Zabawa exudes visual pace and vitality. It invites playful engagement, whether on handmade food packaging in a chic deli or in trendy pizza joints in Downtown New York. It's a sign painter's dream, perfect for indie tattoo parlors' windows and walls or neon signs glowing with electric energy. In the digital realm, Zabawa is ideal for eye-catching Instagram slogans, animating and amplifying the voices of influencers. Its lively and distinctive aesthetic makes it an excellent choice for brands seeking to make a memorable impact without being overpowering. 

The collaboration between The Northern Block and Joanna Angulska has resulted in a remarkable project that embodies genuine handwritten aesthetic value.

“Collaborative projects take work, with lots of obstacles to overcome. But for The Northern Block, that’s what we are about. It’s an opportunity to rewire the typeface design process and tune it into a different wavelength. Joanna Angulska is that wavelength. Bringing her natural pen and brush skills, astute research, and sheer hard work to produce the Zabawa typeface, you simply have to sit back and admire it.” — Jonathan Hill, Founder, The Northern Block.

Perfectly Imperfect: Introducing Zabawa—The Northern Block’s Latest Handwritten Typeface

Zabawa is the result of a fresh and dynamic collaboration between Polish type designer Joanna Angulska and The Northern Block Type Foundry. This partnership combines Angulska's artistic sensibility with The Northern Block's technical prowess, creating a typeface that marries the charm of handwritten expression with contemporary flair. Their mutual passion for creativity and innovation shines through in Zabawa, making it a distinct and personal creation.

Crafted exclusively with a pointed brush, Zabawa showcases the beauty of imperfection. Joanna Angulska's creative journey in developing this unique typeface was guided by the brush, allowing for intuitive strokes and spontaneous design choices. She discovered something with its own life and story, feeling the shapes form and warp through analog sketching. The manner of holding the tool and the natural connections between letters were crucial. Single words served as a testing ground, and over time, a mantra emerged. With Joanna’s guidance, the pointed brush danced across the paper.

Paper. Pointed brush. Ink. For twelve months, seven hours each day.

Zabawa is a labor of love, embodying diligence and resilience. This handwritten typeface strives to find the perfect balance between uniqueness and universal familiarity. It reflects the diversity of individuals while maintaining the coherence of a complete typeface system. The aim was to bring the perfectly imperfect to life.

Joanna delved into her past, exploring old school notebooks to incorporate her natural handwriting quirks into the lettering. This DNA is evident where some lowercase letters resemble uppercase, and some uppercase letters appear as enlarged lowercase. This authenticity results in a natural, legible, and aesthetically pleasing typeface. Each letterform is infused with character, showcasing not only efficient tool use but also a touch of intimacy found in personal notes, fridge reminders, calendar scribbles, and margin doodles. Joanna sought to design a typeface that echoed personal handwriting, achieving a personal yet modern and functional feel.

Joanna explains, “The pointed brush determined the style of the typeface. Since most handwritten typefaces are about creating an illusion of being handwritten, Zabawa puts an emphasis on feelings that the writing style evokes, making it personal and authentic.”

Joanna's meticulous attention to detail is evident in every facet of the typeface. From its 42 unique ligatures, which took four weeks to perfect, to the twelve decorative ornaments and three stylistic sets, Zabawa offers versatility that goes beyond mere visual appeal. Boasting an impressive 936 glyphs, the typeface provides exceptional flexibility for creative expression. Zabawa's Contextual Alternates feature, cleverly coded to enhance its organic feel, ensures that each use remains fresh and dynamic by automatically substituting repeated characters, so no single shape appears too frequently in close proximity.

The name 'Zabawa' means 'Fun' or 'Play' in Polish, reflecting the typeface's lively and varied nature. With its bouncy baselines and energetic slant, Zabawa exudes visual pace and vitality. It invites playful engagement, whether on handmade food packaging in a chic deli or in trendy pizza joints in Downtown New York. It's a sign painter's dream, perfect for indie tattoo parlors' windows and walls or neon signs glowing with electric energy. In the digital realm, Zabawa is ideal for eye-catching Instagram slogans, animating and amplifying the voices of influencers. Its lively and distinctive aesthetic makes it an excellent choice for brands seeking to make a memorable impact without being overpowering.

The collaboration between The Northern Block and Joanna Angulska has resulted in a remarkable project that embodies genuine handwritten aesthetic value.

“Collaborative projects take work, with lots of obstacles to overcome. But for The Northern Block, that’s what we are about. It’s an opportunity to rewire the typeface design process and tune it into a different wavelength. Joanna Angulska is that wavelength. Bringing her natural pen and brush skills, astute research, and sheer hard work to produce the Zabawa typeface, you simply have to sit back and admire it.” — Jonathan Hill, Founder, The Northern Block.