Description

Cinema Bold is an ode to Neuzeit Grotesk (W. Pischner, 1928). It stands apart from the geometric typefaces of the 1920s and 30s that are often considered standard models. The medium weight exudes a “grotesk” atmosphere — a certain roughness visible in the openings of letters like e, c, g, C, G — while also featuring a flat-ended S and s. Compared to Erbar or Futura, it is notable for its short ascenders and even more reduced descenders, which make it function effectively as a clean, utilitarian sans-serif (linéale). The joins of letters such as A, V, W, N, v, w are sturdy rather than sharp. Cinema preserves these specific features, as well as the very essence of Stempel’s original Neuzeit: the contrast in proportions between vertical and round letters. The result is a rhythm that is both distinctly geometric and softened by these individual quirks. Neuzeit was arguably less widely used due to the overwhelming success of Futura. However, one notable use of Neuzeit was by Hans Hillmann for Neue Filmkunst Walter Kirchner, between 1955 and 1975. The posters and catalogs collected from this era served as the foundational inspiration for the project. Two well-known variations of Neuzeit include Neuzeit S (for Siemens, 1966), which radically diverged from the original, and DIN Neuzeit from the 1970s, designed for signage. The latter included a double-story “a” originally intended as an alternate, and further strayed from the source by losing the distinctive contrast between verticals and rounds. This tendency continues in many digital versions developed since the 1990s. Some letters remain particularly noteworthy: the J, which aligns its bar with the tail; the sharply angled M; and the forms of R, e, u. The subtle typographic choices seen in Hillmann’s posters, along with the fine punctuation details from WK programs, are also reflected in this design.

Languages

Afrikaans, Albanian, Asturian, Asu, Basque, Bemba, Bena, Breton, Catalan, Chiga, Colognian, Cornish, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Embu, English, Esperanto, Estonian, Faroese, Filipino, Finnish, French, Friulian, Galician, Ganda, German, Gusii, Hawaiian, Hungarian, Icelandic, Igbo, Inari Sami, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Jola-Fonyi, Kabuverdianu, Kalaallisut, Kalenjin, Kamba, Kikuyu, Kinyarwanda, Koyra Chiini, Latvian, Lithuanian, Lower Sorbian, Luo, Luxembourgish, Luyia, Machame, Makhuwa-Meetto, Makonde, Malagasy, Maltese, Manx, Meru, Morisyen, Northern Sami, North Ndebele, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, Nyankole, Oromo, Polish, Portuguese, Prussian, Quechua, Romanian, Romansh, Rombo, Rundi, Rwa, Samburu, Sango, Sangu, Scottish Gaelic, Sena, Serbian, Shambala, Shona, Slovak, Slovenian, Soga, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Swiss German, Taita, Teso, Tongan, Turkish, Upper Sorbian, Uzbek (Latin), Volapük, Vunjo, Walser, Welsh, Western Frisian, Yoruba, Zulu

Legacy Character Sets

MacOS Roman (Standard Latin)
MacOS Central European Latin
MacOS Celtic
MacOS Croatian
MacOS Iceland
MacOS Romanian
MacOS Turkish
8859-1 Latin-1 Western European
8859-2 Latin-2 Central European
8859-3 Latin-3 South European
8859-4 Latin-4 North European
8859-9 Latin-5 Turkish
8859-10 Latin-6 Nordic
8859-13 Latin-7 Baltic Rim
8859-15 Latin-9
8859-16 Latin-10 South-Eastern European
MS Windows 1250 Central European Latin
MS Windows 1252 Western (Standard Latin)
MS Windows 1254 Turkish Latin
MS Windows 1257 Baltic Latin