Lydian (typeface)

Humanist typeface

Lydian

Category| Calligraphic, humanist, sans-serif
Designer(s)| Warren Chappell
Foundry| ATF
Date created| 1938–1946

Lydian is a calligraphic humanist sans-serif[1] typeface designed by Warren Chappell for American Type Founders in 1938. It is available in bold, italic, and condensed,[2] as well as in a Cursive variant.[3] The original foundry font was commissioned and cast by American Type Founders and included a stylistic alternate, a capital ‹A› with a cross bar.[4] It was named after the designer's wife Lydia.[1][5] It is famously used as the font for the end credits on the TV show Friends.

The various members of the family were introduced over the course of eight years:

* Lydian Italic (1938)
* Lydian Bold Italic (1938)
* Lydian Cursive (1940)
* Lydian Condensed Italic (1946)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Tiffany, Kaitlyn (2019-01-17). "This font you know from old pulp novels is all over new books". Vox. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
2. ^ "Lydian™ Font Family". Fonts.com. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
3. ^ "Lydian Cursive". MyFonts. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
4. ^ "American Type Founders typeface showing card Lydian ca 1940s". The Jumping Frog. American Type Founders. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
5. ^ "Warren Chappell, Illustrator, Dies". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 1991-03-28. p. B2. Retrieved 2025-02-22 - via Newspapers.com.