Constrictor

Constrictor, a new type family released by Frere-Jones Type in June 2026, began as a title sketch for a documentary about Margaret Lovatt, who was part of a NASA funded project which set out to communicate with dolphins and ended up dosing them with LSD. Shallcrass layered this rich input with typographic history, experiences and memories from the physical world to create a variable font family which radiates an energetic presence and has movement at its core. According to Shallcrass, "Danger, tension and anxiety are key aspects of why the face works to me."

Constrictor's variable width axis impacts our perception of noise when read: expand the letters and you can feel the rhythm ease; compress them and the letterforms begin to grip each other like a boa constrictor finding its hold. Movement is also a fundamental component of the static Constrictor styles: from the loose and shimmering X-Wide to the almost unbearably tight X-Condensed, Constrictor has the ability to shift cadence, accelerating or keeping tempo to move with the rhythms of the world.

Constrictor is available from Frere-Jones Type. The family comes in one variable and six static fonts, contains support for over 200 languages, and starts at US$60 for a single style.

Fred Shallcrass, grew up in Aotearoa, New Zealand. He is a Typeface Designer at Frere-Jones Type in New York, teaches typeface design at Parsons and is an instructor in the Type@cooper program.

Constrictor

Foundry: Frere-Jones Type
Design: Fred Shallcrass
Styles: 6
Release date: 23.6.2026

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