Freundschafts-Antiqua AR is based on a 20th-century German type design.

Freundschafts-Antiqua (which was also called Chinesische Antiqua) was designed by the Chinese calligrapher Yü Bing-nan when he was a student at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst at Leipzig in 1960. It was cast in 1964 by VEB Typoart, Dresden, in 9-pt and 28-pt (Didot).

The design combines the best German traditions with the Chinese bamboo pen. It is a unique, wholly modern, yet quiet and dignified typeface which is well suited for text-setting in many sizes. The original design was carefully crafted with all non-kerning letters (none of the letters overhangs its side-bearings); the lower-case f was designed so that no ligatures were needed. The AR fonts include the type’s ch and ck logotypes, monetary signs and all the standard accents. The letterfit of the original design is retained and, as can be seen in the attached printable .pdf, text composed at normal sizes is very agreeable indeed.

Freundschafts-Kursiv AR A features old-style (non-lining) figures and ‘kerning’ letters; Freundschafts-Kursiv AR B contains lining (cap-height) figures and all non-kerning letters following the original design of the face.