A foundry for Hebrew typefaces
A type design studio in Old Jaffa. We create original Hebrew typefaces for brands, screens and print — rooted in the tradition of Hebrew letterforms and designed for everyday use: good legibility, balance, and weights that work well together. Every typeface goes through a meticulous process, down to the smallest details.
Our aim is to expand the toolbox of designers and of everyone who reads and writes Hebrew. Some of our work, such as Assistant, is free to use on Google Fonts, and we also design bespoke typefaces to order. Facing a typographic challenge or need a custom adaptation? Get in touch.
Behind Hafontia: Ben Nathan, type designer and founder, and Alon Tayar, designer.
The headline is set in Hammer Pro, a variable font — hover over it.
Selected clients
Ben Nathan
Type designer, founder of Hafontia
Born in 1984. Bezalel graduate (Visual Communication), type designer, and lecturer at the Holon Institute of Technology. Lives and works in Old Jaffa.
“Type design is a hobby that became a profession. I started at 15 and haven’t stopped since. A good typeface takes a long time to design, so I’m in no hurry to release fonts — I shelve a lot of designs, and I enjoy the process of drawing letters. It’s a kind of meditation for me.”
Alon Tayar
Designer
Born in 1989, lives in Tel Aviv. Holds a master’s degree in visual communication from Bezalel and a bachelor’s degree in music from Copenhagen; designer and musician.
“Design and music are the same work for me: rhythm, spacing, and something you feel a moment before you understand it.”
Press
FAQ
Do you make fonts from handwriting?
Of course, happy to help!
Are you Ben from Hafontia? Where are all the BN fonts?
The first Hafontia went online in 1999 and offered fonts for non-commercial use as free downloads.
All the fonts from that period start with the initials BN and are free for non-commercial use.
If you would like to use them commercially, please get in touch through the contact
What license am I buying?
The license is an End User License Agreement (EULA).
The license defines the ways in which the fonts may be used.
In short: when you buy one of the fonts you are buying the right to use it, and you become a “licensed user”, not the “owner” of the font.
The fonts may not be copied, modified, manipulated, distributed or resold. More information in the terms of use.
How is a typeface designed?
Great question! You can read here about Designing Shabtai
You can dive deep into the design process of Assistant
or read about the process the students went through in the type design course
Where are the free fonts?
Dan Reisinger, letters – a revival of the letters Reisinger drew, made with Nil Cohen and Ilan Reisinger.
I designed 4 families for Google Fonts:
Assistant, Amatic, Fredoka, Noto Sans – all free for commercial use.
There are also typographic posters we made, free to download – here
I’m a student — can I use the fonts?
Yes, all Hafontia fonts are free for student use
Contact
Write any question you have about the fonts and the letters here.
Thank you!
Message sent — we will be in touch soon
Thanks to: Meir Sadan (site development) · Adi Stern (supervisor, “Days & Nights”, graduation project, Visual Communication, Bezalel, 2012) · Michal Sahar (supervisor, “Shabtai”, type design course, Bezalel, 2011)