Bagnard is a gem of a typeface to have in your toolbox. 

According to the designer, “Bagnard was inspired by the graffiti of an anonymous prisoner of the Napoleonic wars.” Welp. Despite the somber source of inspiration, I find Bagnard to be quite a delight.

It’s obvious to say that Bagnard has a ton of personality. The chisel-like details of the serifs give it an artful, handcrafted feel. Its crispness really shines on the screen, and makes the historic feel contemporary. What could feel like a very sharp and cold typeface, to me, is made approachable and friendly by the playfulness found in letters like the round lowercase “g”.

When I first started experimenting with Bagnard years ago, I had it pegged strictly as a display typeface. It has such bold triangular serifs and distinct letterforms that I thought things would get muddied at smaller sizes, the details overpowering the design. But, oh dear reader, was I wrong.

The other week, I was just going about my day when I landed on Ali Labelle’s site (if you don’t know Ali, everything she touches is just *chef’s kiss*). And lo-and-behold, what do I see but Bagnard used to set body copy. At first, I doubted my eyes (What? Bagnard at that size?), but once I confirmed that it was indeed Bagnard, I really started to see the range of this typeface.

It works beautifully in both large and small font sizes and has a combination of precision and warmth that I think gives it much more flexibility than one might expect at first glance.

One thing to be aware of is that Bagnard only comes in one weight and style so if you’re looking for a typeface that offers bold or italics, I suggest you opt for something else. 

Bagnard is currently distributed by the Love Letters foundry. It is licensed under the SIL Open Font License 1.1 and free to create works for personal and commercial use.