Font Friday #54

VCTR Mono

The monospace typeface VCTR Mono on a mobile phone in a headline, body text, a pull quote and the labels of a button and navigation

Monospace typeface

from Vectro
designed by Travis Kochel

12 Styles

6 Weights: Thin to Black
with matching italics

Best for

  • Headings (display text)
  • Long reading text (body text)
  • User Interfaces (functional text)

License starting

below $400 (bundle)

Specialty

A monospaced typeface that still comes with a certain warmth and friendliness.

Get VCTR Mono

My thoughts on VCTR Mono

VCTR Mono is a monospace typeface, currently still in progress, but already available on Future Fonts. A monospace often feels very cold and technical, VCTR Mono is different. It was inspired by the engraved text on the lenses of old manual cameras, and still has a certain warmth to it.

VCTR Mono Light is beautiful. VCTR Mono Regular was inspired by old cameras, specifically Leicas and Nikons, which have really warm, slightly goofy, and tactile engraved text all over. VCTR Mono Italic was inspired by old cameras, specifically Leicas and Nikons, which have really warm, slightly goofy, and tactile engraved text all over. VCTR Mono Black was inspired by old cameras, specifically Leicas and Nikons, which have really warm, slightly goofy, and tactile engraved text all over.
VCTR Mono provides a wide spectrum of weights for a monospace. The italics are very lively, but not over the top.

The Light weight has a noble, simplistic look, especially in larger sizes. I love the double story g in its elegance and how the italics are lively, spiky, but not too much. The italic k with the loop makes me happy. Many of these tiny idiosyncrasies are carefully sprinkled in without overwhelming you. Like old-style numerals or an alternate double wide em dash.

Lining figures and old-style figures
To keep that sense of warmth and approachability, VCTR Mono also comes with old-style numerals, and a double wide em dash.

When it comes to applying VCTR Mono it’s the same with every monospace font. For coding or drafting content, it’s a good choice. Helps you focus, and it’s very legible. When it comes to long reading text, it also might work, but it naturally needs a lot of space. For display text, it’s hard. A monospaced font just looses its coherence when scaled up in font size. At least you will have to decrease the word spacing, if not the letter-spacing slightly as well. So keep that in mind. I touch on how to treat monospace and monospace alike fonts in this tech blog review.

What do you think? Is VCTR Mono something for an upcoming project? Tell me in the comments below!

Typographic power to your inbox

  • Font Friday: I recommend one typeface per week, free fonts included.
  • Type Tuesdays: articles & videos that up your design game.
  • Join 2500+ typography enthusiasts, unsubscribe anytime.

Edition #54, published

2 Comments

  1. Monospace typefaces are my secret love, Oliver! They remind me of an old typing machine and I miss everything vintage (fashion archiver). Not as many uses for monospaced types, however, they have a special charm when put in a certain concept. With mono, everything actually depends on its setting.

    Monospaced fonts are practical when you want to bravely arrange opposite styles where mono takes 20-30% of the primary typography group.
    VCTR Mono or some other will definitely be chosen for my next -personal website redesign. (i.e. footer)

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *