“Grotesque” is a term used to describe a genre of art that means strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, unpleasant, eccentric or comical. In the world of typefaces the term is used as a classification for sans-serif typefaces that originated in the late 19th century. These aforementioned characteristics can be found in a well-known comic book character and also in our typeface.

Jokker is a sans-serif typeface with an elevated x-height which works in all sizes and for all purposes. Glyphs are constructed with geometrically circular forms and terminals are diagonal and tight. “Stem connections” have a reduced thickness while the remaining strokes stay in low contrast. Descenders and ascenders are short to make lines of texts look more compact. Subtle details are noticeable in several glyphs which could be inktraps, smiles or even haunting faces.

Initially, this typeface was developed solely for fun without any agenda or specific aim in mind. The process was akin to the joy of spontaneously kneading ceramic clay into different forms. The original idea was born in an airport terminal while buying a “TOBLERONE” chocolate bar, where the grotesque “R” is designed with petite serifs whose “sparks” in particular grabbed our attention.

Design: Martin Vácha, Daniel Quisek
Spacing and Kerning: Igino Marini
First Sketch: 10/2018, Released: 6/2022
7 weights, 14 styles