Letter forms from the typeface Cassius by Mathieu Réguer

I really should have gone to Paris this weekend. I didn’t have anything terribly exciting to do here in London, two of my elder sisters were there for the weekend. I don’t know why I didn’t realize all of this before Sunday evening. Had I been there, I’m sure I would have tried to drag them to Ladurée, try to talk them into taking a boat ride on the Seine, or maybe I could finally make it to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I blame them, in part, for not getting me their itinerary sooner, let this be a lesson to all you Hunts!
However, had I been in Paris this weekend, I can tell you that I would most likely have been taking pictures of lettering more than of architecture. On my previous two trips to the center of the cultural universe, I was struck by the occurrence of what seemed to me to be a very French treatment of the majuscule R.

There are two aspects within a typeface that allow for horizontal distortion. The first is that the contrast must be high: horizontal strokes must be thinner than horizontal strokes. The second is that curved parts must be somewhat squarish. These two factors in combination will give a typeface some elasticity, which will allow for some degree of squooshing, but don’t overdo it!