Tourette draws inspiration from 19th century French light slab serifs. This area of typography is particularly beautiful but relatively unexplored in contemporary design. Tourette includes two versions, Normal and Extreme. Normal is simple, delicate and legible, whereas Extreme is full of little flourishes which provide an exquisite but slightly frivolous feel.
The typeface is named after Tourette’s syndrome, a neurological condition characterised by a combination of involuntary noises and movements. The syndrome is often associated with the exclamation of obscene words or socially inappropriate and derogatory remarks (although this is now known to be present in only a small minority of people with Tourette’s). The choice of name originates from one of the prevailing themes in the work of Barnbrook Fonts: the power of language and in particular the magic of swear words. This nod to obscene language provides both a direct contrast to the delicate whimsy of the letterforms and an allusion to the ornamentation of the Extreme weight.
