Thomas Jefferys (ca. 1710–1771) was the best-known map maker in 18th-century England, chiefly because he won (and hyped) the title “Geographer to King George III.” Jefferys was more an engraver/publisher than a geographer, really, since he mostly relied on the cartographic materials of others. Still, his maps of the North American colonies were well known.

Geographica is a legible, four-style serif family modeled after the neat hand-lettered place names and peripheral text on Jefferys’s maps. With its long serifs, tall x-height, and robust curves, Geographica somehow combines classic elegance with a whiff of coastline and sea. The italic styles have the slant and warmth of the hand-drawn source materials. And the typeface comes with a slew of distinctive map-based ornaments—including compass wheels and sailing ships.

This evocative serif works well in both display situations and long blocks of text, whether on paper or screen.

OpenType features include small capitals, numerous ligatures, and two stylistic sets of titling caps. Geographica offers full support for Central and Eastern European languages—more than 1,200 glyphs in all.