Old Antic, designed by Platinum Technology 96 and published by Microsoft, is a highly decorative and bold font inspired by traditional Kufic calligraphy with modern influences. Released on July 17, 2017, it features filled letters with intricate slithering designs, giving off a sense of elegance. With 470 characters and 250 glyphs, Old Antic offers versatility across various languages, including Urdu, Arabic, Latin, Persian, and more. However, its Unicode blocks are limited to Basic Latin, Latin-1 Supplement, and Private Use Area. It’s weights include:
- Old Antic Bold Regular
- Old Antic Outline Regular
- Old Antic Decorative
- Old Antic Shaded
The font is characterized by its thick and constant thickness throughout the letters, contributing to its impactful and strong stroke. Some vertical characters feature curvy slithering shapes resembling decorative ribbon ends, with sharp corners and decorative pointy edges. The letters are condensed, enhancing the font’s decorative look. While this font shines in branding, advertising, logos, book covers, posters, and newspaper headlines, its intricate design may pose challenges for legibility, especially at smaller resolutions. Therefore, it is best suited for short text applications where its decorative nature can be appreciated without compromising readability.
