Lyon Text & Display

Lyon is a suite of contemporary reading typefaces for modern publications, loosely based on historical models of the 16th century punch cutter Robert Granjon.

Lyon reflects our convictions about modern digital typeface design: A decisively digital outline treatment that reveals our modern repertoire of tools, and the typeface itself as a modern design tool, contrasts nicely with Lyon’s 16th century heritage.

Lyon Text is a book and publication typeface that is heavily informed by how we ourselves want a contemporary text typeface to perform for our design work. Neither too coldly modern, nor overly historicising, Lyon pairs a certain generic unobtrusiveness with an attractive text image. Individual letterforms are drawn in a reduced, formally economic way, where curves and details had to be an integral element of the character, or would be removed.

Lyon Display takes cues from some of the largest styles Granjon cut during his ‘middle period’. The display family’s higher contrast, more aggressive serifs and overall sharper image allow it to soften some of the Text family’s characteristic details without looking less up-to-the-minute.


Self-initiated. Designed by Kai Bernau 2005 – 2010. 20 styles total. Text styles feature fraction figures and small caps. Display styles feature alternates and swashes.

Available from Commercial Type

Now also comes with Cyrillic by Ilya Ruderman, Greek by Irene Vlachou, Arabic by Waël Marcos and Khajag Apelian, Hebrew by Yanek Jontef and Daniel Grumer.