Hamster
By Fontwerk
Joe Stitzlein’s Hamster is a two-tone variable color font, bursting with fun and a colorful playground for designers. Inspired by the pets of his childhood friends, the construction of the letterforms follows the tubular ‘habitrails’ in which the cute namesakes live.
It was not only the transparent, partly colored plastic tubes and terrariums that made an impression on the designer, but also the animals. Their two-tone fur inspired Joe to design his typeface as a color font. The rounded ends and bold font weights are reminiscent of the rodents’ distinctive chubby cheeks. The characteristics cuddly and chubby therefore apply equally to both animal and font.
The designers at Snask quickly fell in love with Hamster as it was the manifestation of everything they valued—playfulness, character, boldness, and color. When asked to tell the world about the miracle, they took it upon themselves to let all type-enthusiasts across the globe get a glimpse of the magnificent creation. They proceeded with the task in the only manner they knew how to do things: with a dedicated focus on craft and they brought life to the digital shapes through physical form.
And so, a Hamster workshop was installed. Fourteen human beings put their heads and hands together and decorated 86 laser-cut wooden letters with delicious layers of paint, and carefully stacked them in exquisite typographic formations. “Hoarding all the nuts,” the sculpture read. Because just like the Hamster, any true type-nerd knows how to collect beautiful things. They both work diligently hoarding things—in some cases nuts, in other typefaces, but stacking all the same. It was busy work and long hours, but for the sake of true love, you can craft for several miles. And so one sunny February day, when the last letter had been dipped in paint, it was finally time to put the letters back into the digital world through photo and film.
Hamster
Designers: Joe Stitzlein
Foundry: Fontwerk
Release: February 2023
Styles & weights: 10 colored styles each in 6 weights from Thin to XBlack
Test version: Yes
File Formats: OTF, WOFF2; Variable Fonts: TTF, WOFF2
Prices: € 50.– Standard, € 500.– Extended
Specimen PDF
BUY
Creative concept & art direction: Snask
Photography & dop: Golden Retriever
