The Font You'll Be Praying With for Years: A Look at Ascension's Serif

Why a New Font?

Even the smallest design choices can shape the experience of prayer.

For this historic new edition of the Liturgy of the Hours, Ascension commissioned a custom typeface. The Ascension Serif, created by the renowned typographic design studio and biblical typesetter 2K/DENMARK, will be the font used for the Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition. 

While a font may seem like a small detail, Ascension believes the words of the Church's daily prayer deserve to be presented with the same care and intentionality that have shaped Catholic worship throughout the centuries.

A Closer Look at the Font for the Liturgy of the Hours 

Unlike a standard commercial typeface, Ascension Serif was designed specifically for the unique demands of the Liturgy of the Hours. Every proportion and detail was developed to support the daily reading and praying of liturgical texts.

As Klaus Krogh, CEO and Co-Founder of 2K/DENMARK, explains,

"When we're creating a typeface like the Ascension Serif...we are creating a voice for the Liturgy of the Hours."

Every line, curve, and proportion of Ascension Serif was designed with a single goal in mind: to help the beauty of the Church's prayer speak clearly and effortlessly to the soul.

Beauty Through Clarity

One of the most beautiful qualities of a well-designed book is often the one readers notice least: clarity.

The Liturgy of the Hours contains a remarkable variety of texts and prayer forms. Ascension Serif was designed to make these elements feel cohesive and easy to navigate. Clear headings, thoughtful spacing, and harmonious typography help readers move naturally through the Hours.

Krogh describes typography as the unseen voice behind the printed word:

"What's the sound of the printed word? That's actually the type design. The type design gives the flavor and the spices to the printed word."

The Ascension Serif was carefully proportioned to improve legibility and reduce eye strain, making extended periods of reading and prayer more comfortable. This serves a deeper purpose. When less effort is spent deciphering the page, more attention can be given to the words themselves. 

With a beautiful, clear font, the reader becomes free to enter more fully into prayer.

A Font Rooted in the Catholic Tradition

Catholic beauty is never beauty for its own sake. The Church has always understood that beauty should reveal truth and draw us toward communion with God.

The new Ascension Serif reflects that tradition. Its classical serif design evokes the timeless dignity of sacred texts while remaining highly readable for modern readers. The font feels familiar yet distinctive, elegant without being ornate.

Subtle details guide the eye across the page, creating a rhythm that mirrors the cadence of prayer itself. The result is a typeface that feels at home within the Church's liturgical tradition while serving the practical needs of those who pray it every day.

A New Edition, A New Expression of Beauty

Ascension wanted to commission a typeface worthy of the Church's daily prayer. Every aspect of the Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition, was approached with a commitment to craftsmanship, reverence, and excellence, ensuring that even the typography reflects the dignity and richness of the prayer and the one being praised. 

The significance of that responsibility was not lost on the designers or on Ascension. As Krogh reflects, 

"The awareness that this is going to be used the next 50 years every day shows you the importance of the choices you make."

Because beauty matters.

Not because it is decorative or fashionable, but because authentic beauty has always been one of the ways God draws the human heart to himself.

Ascension Serif was designed to help foster that encounter—one page, one psalm, and one prayer at a time.