Modern Grotesque Body
The Chicago + Godthem
Creates crisp high-hierarchy contrast beneath The Chicago headlines across menus, websites and labels.
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Tall thin display serif with star-cut counters
The Chicago
The Chicago is a tall display serif in which the stems stretch upward, the hairlines stay fine and a small star is punched into several counters, so a two-word title reads as a decorated magazine masthead.
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Get this fontProject & layout blueprintsAt-a-glance maker compatibility
Cutting, print & workflow scorecard.
Sturdy stroke walls and open counters weed cleanly on adhesive vinyl, HTV apparel film, and cut cardstock.
Plotter & output verdictEasy-Weed Vinyl & Print Ready
Recommended minimum scale0.75 in+ cap height
Character set & structureUppercase, Lowercase & Numerals
OpenType & PUA accessStandard Latin, Figures & Punctuation
Best surfaces & mediaBrand Packaging · Social Graphics · Vinyl Decals
Compatible design toolsIllustrator · Affinity · Canva Pro · Cricut & Silhouette
Visual anatomy & craft review
Letterform structure
of The Chicago.
The T spreads a hairline arm on a thin stem, the H sets two tall stems with a light bar, the C curls a narrow crescent, the A pinches a fine apex and the G closes a small bowl, all at a high contrast with fine serifs, while the counters of the i, the o and the a are replaced by a four-point star. The stars are the character: they replace counters rather than adding ornament around the word, which is why the sample sets two lines with a wide gap between them. Because the strokes are thin, the face needs 44 pt upward and a coated stock, and the stars need open space. The pale photograph, the arched lettering above and the caption beneath are presentation; the black display words are the face.
Tall · Star counters · Delicate
Two-font hierarchy recipes
Suggested font
pairings.
Tested contrast partners — pairing The Chicago with grounded secondary typography.
Expressive Accent Script
The Chicago + Winky Swing
Adds a warm human signature touch for 1-to-3-word callouts without competing against structured serif capitals.
Inspect Winky Swing specimenPractical applications
Project & layout
blueprints.
Concrete hierarchy, scale and production guidance tailored to The Chicago’s stroke geometry.
Masthead for a culture magazine
The star counters give a masthead its one memorable detail, and the tall hairlines hold a two-word title at 90 pt on a coated cover.
Hierarchy & layout recipe
Print an A4 cover: set the title at 90 pt on two lines, keep 25 mm of margin at each side, and set the issue line in a 9 pt caps sans 24 mm beneath the lower baseline.
Pre-production check
A star counter smaller than 2 mm fills in on an uncoated sheet; check the proof and keep the title at 90 pt or above.
Card for a small design studio
The delicate hairlines give a studio a quiet mark, and the star counters hold a short name at 24 pt on a coated card in one ink.
Hierarchy & layout recipe
Print an 85 by 55 mm card: set the studio name at 24 pt, set the address block in a 6 pt sans at the foot, and keep 12 mm of white so the stars are not crowded by text.
Pre-production check
A hairline stem printed near small type looks broken; check the card and open the gap by 4 mm.
Invitation for an evening wedding
The tall serif suits a formal evening invitation, and the star counters give a two-name card one drawn detail at 28 pt on heavy stock.
Hierarchy & layout recipe
Print a 130 by 180 mm card: set both names at 28 pt on two lines with 1.4 line spacing, set the details in an 8 pt caps serif beneath, and keep 20 mm of margin for the hairlines.
Pre-production check
Two thin lines stacked tightly can touch at the serif feet; check the printed card and open the leading before reducing the size.
Technical & licence verification
File & listing specifications.
File & glyph specifications
- Style classification
- Display · Tall thin display serif with star-cut counters
- Foundry / creator
- hl_studio
Confirm included OTF/TTF/WOFF formats, full glyph tables and licence coverage on the live store page before batch production.
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