FF SIZMO PRO
The typeface formerly known as “Vielzweck” and “Tephe”
Drawn by Verena Gerlach, the FF Sizmo™ suite of typefaces is two distinctive designs. Gerlach first made the “line” versions of FF Sizmo, inspired by a charming, unique—former GDR style—signage system. The other design is a reduced, industrial strength, condensed, sans serif suite of designs—without the horizontally connecting baseline stroke.
FF Sizmo Pro
The five weights of the basic FF Sizmo typefaces are ideal for both print and digital uses. Print projects from branding to way-finding fall easily into the typefaces’ range of applications.
Generous character spacing, open counters and wide apertures also make the typefaces a natural for web and gaming design. Banners, navigational links, sub heads, short blocks of contextual copy—even longer reading texts—are just some of the on-screen uses for FF Sizmo.
FF Sizmo | Light, Regular, Medium, Demibold, Bold
FF Sizmo | ss01 | Light, Regular, Medium, Demibold, Bold
FF Sizmo Oblique | Light, Regular, Medium, Demibold, Bold
FF Sizmo Oblique | ss01 | Light, Regular, Medium, Demibold, Bold
FF Sizmo Line
The “line” versions of FF Sizmo, can stand on their own—or be combined with the basic design—to create powerful, eye-catching statements in headlines, subheads, posters and cover art.
Language and Alternate Character Support
Both variations of FF Sizmo are available as OpenType® fonts that include large character complements enabling the setting of most Western European and many Eastern European languages. In addition, the OpenType fonts automatically insert the beginning, middle or ending baseline element characters of FF Sizmo Line.
FF Sizmo Backstory
The Haus des Lehrers (HdL—“House of the Teacher”), one of Berlin’s first high-rise structures, is a 56m high tower with an unmistakable mosaic frieze wrapped around it. Built between 1961 and 1964 as a public project, HdL was designed as a venue where socialist teachers could be educated and trained.
In the late 1990s, HdL became vacant, but was eventually reopened for temporary use by private individuals. Happily, the landlord preferred young creative tenants, a policy which made for an exciting mixture of talents. After only a few months, the HdL community had grown to 80 people; with an inner circle of architects, film-makers, designers, photographers, and musicians. The building and its community soon began to be an important part of the Berlin subculture.
Late in 2000, the community labelled itself as the ”HdL-network” and decided they needed a corporate image. Because the community was, to a large degree, defined by the building, the first order of business was finding a ”Haus” typeface.“ Gerlach designed the HdL typeface, based on the signage system used for the tenants’ directory. This became the basis of FF Sizmo.?
