# Modern Antiqua font

> A flared display roman that began as lettering for stone inscriptions, based on Roman square capitals.

Modern Antiqua is a display typeface by Wojciech Kalinowski that grew out of his stone inscription lettering from around 1995 and is based on Roman square capitals. Modern Antiqua has one Regular style with 395 glyphs for Latin and Latin Extended text. Modern Antiqua is released under the SIL Open Font License 1.1 and suits titles, signs and labels.

## Facts

- Classification: [Display](https://trendhub.net/fonts/category/display)
- Designed by: Wojciech Kalinowski
- License: SIL Open Font License 1.1 (https://openfontlicense.org/open-font-license-official-text/)
- Styles: 1 (Regular 400)
- Variable font: No
- Glyphs: 395
- Character sets: latin, latin-ext
- Last updated: 2025-09-08
- Official source: https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Modern+Antiqua
- Page: https://trendhub.net/fonts/modern-antiqua
- Tagged for: Headlines, Logos, Packaging, Signage

## About Modern Antiqua

Modern Antiqua is a display face with roots in stone carving. Wojciech Kalinowski first made it around 1995 for inscriptions he cut professionally, starting from Roman square capitals; at that stage it had only capitals and digits, and the lowercase and symbols were added later when he turned his lettering into fonts. The capitals keep classical proportions with stems that flare into small wedge-shaped serifs. The lowercase is more idiosyncratic: a is a single-storey form with a pointed corner, r ends in a hooked arm, f curls over at the top, and t carries a spur on its crossbar, which gives words a faintly medieval tone. Figures share the flared stroke endings. The family consists of one Regular style, not variable, with 395 glyphs across the Latin and Latin Extended subsets.

## License

SIL Open Font License 1.1. Copyright (c) 2011, wmk69 (wmk69@o2.pl), with Reserved Font Names "Modern Antiqua" and "ModernAntiqua".

Allowed:
- Use the fonts in personal and commercial work, in print, on the web and in apps.
- Modify the fonts and build new versions from them.
- Redistribute the fonts, on their own or bundled with software, as long as the license text and copyright notice go with them.

Conditions:
- The fonts cannot be sold by themselves.
- A modified version must stay under the same license and cannot use a Reserved Font Name without the copyright holder's permission.
- The authors' names cannot be used to promote a modified version without permission.

Summary only, not legal advice. Full text: https://openfontlicense.org/open-font-license-official-text/

## Where it works

- **Plaques and memorial lettering**: The capitals were designed to be cut in stone, so they suit engraved or sandblasted inscriptions and their printed mock-ups.
- **Fantasy and historical titles**: Flared stems and the hooked r and single-storey a give book covers and game titles an antique flavour.
- **Wine, craft and deli labels**: Classical capitals with wedge serifs set a product name with a traditional feel in a small space.
- **Headings in capitals**: Since the design began as capitals and digits, all-caps lines with dates or numbers are its most settled use.

## Things to know

- **Lowercase came later**: The small letters were added after the capitals and have unusual forms, especially a, r, f and t.
- **One style**: Modern Antiqua has Regular 400 only, with no italic or bold.
- **Latin Extended included**: Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian and Turkish letters are present; Cyrillic and Greek are not.

## FAQs

### Is Modern Antiqua free for commercial use?

Yes. Modern Antiqua is published under the SIL Open Font License 1.1, which allows personal and commercial use, modification and redistribution. The font cannot be sold on its own, and modified versions stay under the same license and may not use the Reserved Font Name "Modern Antiqua" without permission.

### Who designed Modern Antiqua?

Modern Antiqua was designed by Wojciech Kalinowski, who appears in the copyright notice under the name wmk69.

### What is Modern Antiqua based on?

Modern Antiqua is based on Roman square capitals. The designer created it around 1995 for inscriptions on stone and later completed it with lowercase and symbols.

### How many weights does Modern Antiqua have?

Modern Antiqua has one weight, Regular 400, and no italic. Modern Antiqua is not a variable font.

### Which languages does Modern Antiqua support?

Modern Antiqua includes the letters needed for English and other Latin-script languages such as Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, German, French, Spanish and Turkish.

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Source: https://trendhub.net/fonts/modern-antiqua (trendhub)