Proper now, nobody’s fairly certain if we should always nonetheless be saying ‘Glad New Yr’ or not. However one factor’s for sure, January’s releases have correctly impressed me. There is a refreshing lack of faff right here; these are typefaces that know precisely what job they’re meant to do, they usually get on with it. No apologies, no hedging. Simply assured, well-considered design that truly solves issues.
Many of those fonts interact with historical past in significant methods. We have got a 126-year-old script that is been lovingly resurrected from archival specimens; a serif based mostly on the typography of an 1830 abolitionist manifesto… and these aren’t simply aesthetic nods to the previous. They’re lively conversations with it; preserving one thing essential while making it related for at this time.
There’s additionally plenty of sheer practicality on present. A company sans that one way or the other manages to really feel heat and human. A complete serif system spanning 224 types (sure, actually). A show face impressed by ocean waves that truly captures that sense of natural motion. These typefaces work arduous, however they’ve all bought character in spades.
What ties all this collectively is a refusal to decide on between performance and character. Each font right here proves you possibly can have each: that being helpful does not imply being boring, and having a particular voice does not imply sacrificing versatility. Which, frankly, is precisely what good kind design needs to be about.
1. GT Canon by Grilli Kind
GT Canon represents Grilli Kind’s reply to a deceptively easy query: what ought to a up to date serif be? Somewhat than reaching for stylistic reinvention or nostalgic reference factors, the foundry has delivered a complete system constructed round pragmatic performance and fashionable necessities.
The household’s scope is genuinely spectacular: three optical sizes, seven weights, 5 widths, italics and a monospaced companion, totalling 224 types. This is not enlargement for its personal sake, however a deliberate structure designed to deal with no matter up to date design calls for. Along with GT Commonplace, its sans serif sibling, GT Canon kinds an entire typographic ecosystem.
Most of all, what distinguishes GT Canon is its refusal to attain versatility by way of blandness. The design maintains character throughout its intensive vary—motion and liveliness are embedded within the letterforms themselves, creating what Grilli Kind describes as being “freed from nostalgic connotations”. This can be a serif firmly rooted within the current tense, addressing what digital contexts require of typefaces at this time slightly than what they wanted yesterday.
The accompanying minisite frames the discharge by way of an alphabet of aesthetic phrases, functioning as each specimen and theoretical exploration. It is an strategy that mirrors the typeface itself: systematic with out being sterile, purposeful with out compromising character. GT Canon succeeds as each a workhorse and a voice, demonstrating that up to date kind methods can serve a number of roles while sustaining a coherent id all through.
2. WTF Forma by W Kind Foundry
Magdalena Arasanz and the group at W Kind Foundry set themselves a difficult temporary: create a typeface for large companies that truly feels human. WTF Forma is their resolution: a sans serif designed particularly for the advanced communication wants of enormous organisations, but one which avoids emotional sterility.
Drawing inspiration from DIN’s readability and construction, WTF Forma balances skilled maturity with real approachability. It is designed to work throughout the total spectrum of comms: long-form copy, quick copy, lists, titles, shows, and every thing in between. The foundry describes it as a “true resolution”, and that utilitarian framing proves correct. This can be a typeface constructed to deal with actual issues.
The household’s 50 types, together with italics, span from Compressed by way of Condensed to Common and Expanded to Huge. This vary is not mere enlargement however thought of variation, every width serving particular spatial and hierarchical wants. The result’s a system that continues to be straightforward to navigate regardless of its breadth, providing what W Kind Foundry calls “infinite prospects” with out overwhelming complexity.
What makes WTF Forma compelling is its recognition that “legible and formal” needn’t imply chilly or impersonal. The typeface maintains heat and human character while delivering the reliability multinational manufacturers require. In an period the place company communication more and more calls for each authority and approachability, WTF Forma demonstrates how up to date kind design can serve each wants with out compromise. It is skilled typography that does not really feel prefer it’s apologising for having a character.
3. Cassis by Nina Stössinger
Cassis marks an enormous second for each its designer and Frere-Jones Kind: Nina Stössinger’s first solo launch with the foundry. The typeface itself embodies what that milestone represents—confidence in a single’s personal voice, willingness to embrace imperfection, and the understanding that character usually issues greater than polish.
Begun in 2014, Cassis’s improvement traces Stössinger’s journey from Europe to New York Metropolis, and this transAtlantic character permeates the design. Drawing from early- by way of mid-century lettering and signal portray traditions in Switzerland, Belgium, and america, Cassis achieves one thing uncommon: a real synthesis of European restraint and American vitality with out feeling spinoff of both.
The typeface is constructed on geometric logic and historic precedent, but refuses to be constrained by both. Swelling curves, reaching terminals, and a intentionally precarious stability of stroke weights infuse its geometric construction with what the foundry calls a “compelling density and flavour”. At bigger sizes, Cassis tasks affable confidence; it is snug in its personal pores and skin, unafraid of its quirks.
Obtainable in seven weights from Skinny by way of Black, with assist for over 200 languages masking main Latin-alphabet areas and Vietnam, Cassis presents each technical completeness and expressive character. It succeeds as a result of it prioritises genuine voice over systematic perfection, demonstrating that up to date sans serif design can have fun slightly than remove particular person character. For branding, id, and titling work that require real character, Cassis delivers with out pretence or apology.
Some typeface revivals really feel like educational workout routines. Pennline Script shouldn’t be one in every of them. Tasos Varipatis’s meticulous resurrection of Bulletin—a script first solid in 1899 by Philadelphia’s Keystone Kind Foundry—demonstrates how historic preservation and up to date utility can coexist when approached with respect and creativeness.
Varipatis initially found Bulletin by way of a Fb put up displaying aid prints of 36-point steel kind from the Nickel Plate Press archives. What adopted was six months of rigorous work translating extraordinarily restricted supply materials into a totally purposeful digital typeface. The shortage of surviving specimens meant Varipatis needed to reimagine spacing, kerning and full character ranges while sustaining constancy to Bulletin’s expressive, brush-inspired character.
The outcome balances historic authenticity with fashionable performance. Pennline Script preserves the vigorous irregularity of the unique design—the pooling of ink, the natural circulation, the human imperfections—while delivering over 1,050 characters supporting 304 Latin-based languages. In depth OpenType options embrace contextual alternates, ligatures, localised kinds and eight stylistic units, enabling each trustworthy interval recreation and up to date customisation.
What really elevates Pennline Script, although, is its emotional resonance. This semi-connected script pulses with early Americana, carrying the vitality of Philadelphia’s golden age of printing and publishing. Varipatis hasn’t merely digitised historic letterforms; he is captured the spirit of an period when typography was each industrial craft and expressive artwork. For headlines, packaging, and editorial purposes that require heat, nostalgia, and real character, Pennline Script presents one thing genuinely uncommon: a 126-year-old typeface that feels fully alive.
Some typefaces carry weight past their visible traits. We Attraction, from the newly launched WeType foundry, is explicitly designed as an act of historic preservation and cultural reclamation. Based mostly on characters from David Walker’s “Attraction in 4 Articles to the Colored Residents of the World”—an 1830 abolitionist manifesto—this revival serif transforms a pivotal doc in American historical past into up to date typographic kind.
The unique publication was outstanding for its time: a 6×9-inch booklet, 87 pages, set in 7-point kind designed to be moveable and distributable. The typesetting itself was deliberately expressive, utilizing spacing and punctuation to excite and incite readers; a real feat contemplating its viewers and period. It was possible printed in the identical Boston store as Freedom’s Journal, the primary Black newspaper in america, the place Walker was a author.
WeType’s revival honours this charged historic context while making a purposeful text-weight serif for contemporary purposes. The foundry positions itself at “the intersection of Western and Japanese cultural heritage”, dedicated to amplifying typographic voices too usually ignored. We Attraction embodies this mission immediately, demonstrating how kind design can actively interact with cultural preservation and historic recognition.
Virtually talking, We Attraction serves as a succesful textual content serif appropriate for up to date use. It is a typeface that invitations contemplation of typography’s relationship to energy, voice and illustration. For designers and establishments working with themes of social justice, historic documentation or cultural preservation, We Attraction presents greater than aesthetic selection; it gives typographic voice with real historic resonance and goal.
6. Bárur by MNDT Kind
Bárur pronounces itself by way of motion. Named after the Outdated Norse phrase for “waves”, this show serif from Sarah Schroeder’s Mindt Studio embraces rhythm and circulation as basic rules slightly than ornamental prospers. Initially developed from a bespoke wordmark for a wellness model, the typeface has advanced into a totally realised household outlined by natural character and fluid grace.
The design balances expressiveness with readability by way of rounded, gently sculpted serifs that information the attention fluidly throughout uppercase letterforms. While rooted in historic serif traditions, Bárur avoids ornamentation in favour of a cleaner, extra geometric construction. This restraint prevents the design from feeling nostalgic or valuable; as a substitute, it tasks up to date confidence with real tactile heat.
Choose letters—together with C, G, O, and S—function elective serif-less alternates, permitting designers to modulate texture and rhythm inside compositions. Mixed with 39 ligatures, numerals, punctuation and multilingual Latin assist, these options present appreciable flexibility regardless of the typeface’s targeted show intent. Presently out there in Mild and Common weights, with Daring in improvement, Bárur is launched as an early-access typeface that can proceed evolving by way of free updates.
Although legible at smaller sizes, Bárur’s strengths emerge most powerfully in large-scale purposes: logos, branding methods, packaging, editorial headlines and posters. As Mindt Studio’s first kind launch, it units an intentional tone: expressive, tactile, unmistakably fluid. That is show typography that feels alive, carrying the heartbeat of pure rhythms into up to date design contexts.
7. Setar by Dogray Kind Foundry
Designed by Sahar for the newly launched Dogray Kind Foundry, this Arabic Naskh typeface unites Brutalist utility with calligraphic spirit; a short the designer describes as asking for “a wonderfully logical algorithm that chooses to output confetti, however make it fonts.”
The household matches its Latin companion, Units Grotesk, in breadth: 9 weights throughout 4 optical sizes. While smaller textual content sizes recede appropriately into background readability, the massive optical dimension undergoes an entire character transformation. Character skeletons widen, connections shorten, counters increase. The result’s typography designed to seize consideration and stand out, with lengthy tooth, bigger dots, and wider proportions that create a particular presence.
What’s spectacular is Setar’s technical sophistication in dealing with the potential pitfalls of Arabic kind. Bigger tooth usually create problematic character clashes, however Setar comprises complete contextual alternates guaranteeing these collisions do not happen (until intentionally desired). For closing kinds with bassinets—seen, unhappy, midday characters—the typeface consists of variations with elongated tails, addressing sensible justification wants while enabling dramatic stylistic choices.
Supporting 20 languages together with Commonplace Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and varied regional Arabic variants, Setar demonstrates how simplified Naskh designs can keep calligraphic spirit while embracing Brutalist performance. It is a typeface that refuses the everyday binary selection between conventional class and up to date utility, as a substitute insisting each qualities can coexist productively. As one half of Dogray Kind’s founding launch—one designer from Arabic custom, one other from Latin—Setar exemplifies how cross-cultural typographic dialogue can yield genuinely revolutionary outcomes.
Designed by Raphaël Ronot and refined over 5 years with Typofonderie, this neo-grotesque attracts inspiration from Gestalt idea and the qualities of early industrial kind, creating an aesthetically pleasing typeface that makes textual content genuinely straightforward to grasp.
Former Professional denies the rational aesthetic of recent sans serifs while embracing a sure frugality. The design stands out by way of fastidiously chosen particulars slightly than overt originality, making a workhorse typeface that blends mechanical rationalism with noticeable human contact. Considerably narrower than up to date neo-grotesques influenced by the Fifties Worldwide type, it sits between “completely common” and “actually condensed”; qualities of an financial typeface.
Mixed with comparatively free spacing, this provides textual content a texture paying homage to early IBM Selectric typewriter faces, lending genuine character to up to date design. The distinction between skinny and thick strokes goes past mere optical compensation to grow to be an intentional attribute, while barely flared, V-shaped curve endings evoke the analogue heat and imperfection of the earliest steel sorts.
The italics deserve specific point out: they have not undergone extreme normalisation in both angle or weight distinction, embodying what Ronot calls a “Frutigerian” philosophy. The italics are noticeable, fulfilling their purposeful emphasis goal slightly than merely echoing the Roman as slanted textual content. With six weights from Common to Black, together with a barely darker E book reduce for prolonged studying, Former Professional consists of small caps, alternates, ligatures, and varied units of numerals and fractions.
As typography developments towards easier, bigger, straighter kinds, Former Professional stands as barely rebellious, celebrating the quirks, attraction, and authenticity of early sans serifs while remaining fully up to date.
9. Se Macro by Gallery Kind
Se Macro pronounces Gallery Kind’s arrival with appreciable ambition. Based in late 2025 by Berlin-based German kind designer Daniel Perraudin, the foundry positions itself intentionally towards design and model companies, combining typographic excellence with a deep understanding of branding processes; a mix Perraudin argues stays surprisingly uncommon in kind design.
The font itself is described as mixing purposeful versatility for international use with refined French class. Spanning 10 weights and three widths—60 types together with italics—the household delivers architectural readability with expressive heat. Obtainable from feather-light Hairline to daring, highly effective Extremely, Se Macro balances readability and class while capturing minimalist design spirit between modernism and postmodernism.
The design combines a monolinear construction with a high-contrast mannequin, seen notably in junctions the place straight and spherical shapes meet. Dynamic distinction distribution in letters like “s”, mixed with gracefully sculpted italics, provides additional distinction. This is not merely purposeful typography; it is typography with id inbuilt.
Designed particularly for the visible language of up to date manufacturers, style labels, cultural platforms and design-driven merchandise, Se Macro presents structural integrity and stylistic impression concurrently. It is a part of the excellent Se Assortment, which will likely be accompanied by Se Micro, Se Mono, Se Delicate, and Se Rounded—all set for launch by way of 2026-2027. As a foundry launch and first main launch, Se Macro units assured expectations for what’s to come back.
Agency, spacious, and clear, Weymann Serif represents a meditation on the act of writing itself. Designed by Marc Weymann for Typemates, it is a typeface for textual content meant to final—to be learn not simply as soon as, however effectively. Drawing breath from the hand while talking with the composure of kind, Weymann Serif balances typographic self-discipline with one thing extra basic: respect for the studying expertise.
Up to date and classical parts coexist naturally. Bracketed serifs nod towards manuscript traditions while an open construction brings editorial grace and what Typemates describes as “stonecut readability”. Huge letterforms and open counters present lucidity in each headings and footnotes, while its rational precision by no means ideas into coldness.
Weymann Serif’s character emerges most clearly in bigger sizes, the place refined particulars (the dance of curve and serif, stress between sharp and spherical) come totally to life. But it stays snug at small sizes, demonstrating the form of real versatility that comes from considerate design slightly than digital scaling. The strokes are mild but deliberate, shapes composed slightly than chilly.
Expressive with out extravagance, Weymann Serif performs with out efficiency; participating eye and web page quietly, unmistakably. For books, journals, catalogues, essays, and editorial work, it presents the form of reliability that turns into invisible exactly as a result of it really works so effectively.
Some typefaces exist purely for aesthetic pleasure. Amperspam 2.0 exists to battle meals shortage, and that real goal elevates it past intelligent novelty. Constructing on final 12 months’s profitable vacation fundraiser, Boston and Philadelphia company Allen & Gerritsen has returned with an expanded launch: three new fonts becoming a member of the unique, plus a full merchandise assortment, all supporting native meals banks.
The idea stays delightfully easy: fonts handcrafted from spam (the tinned meat selection, not the e-mail variety). Final 12 months’s Amperspam raised over $1,000 for Higher Boston Meals Financial institution and Philabundance. This 12 months’s launch—Amperspam Grilled Daring, Amperspam Nibbled Neue, and Amperspam Out The Can, alongside the unique—goals to do considerably extra. Chris Fernandez, artistic SVP at A&G, describes it as a ardour mission demonstrating the distinction creativity could make when put to work fixing neighborhood issues.
The meat-inspired merchandise deserves point out: T-shirts declaring “This Is My Meat Shirt”, socks, hats, and sticker packs, all out there by way of donations. Sure, it is foolish. Sure, it is memorable. And sure, it is efficient, which finally issues significantly greater than typographic purity when the objective is elevating funds and consciousness for meals insecurity.
12. Stróc by Designomatt
Matthew Gallagher’s Designomatt foundry launches with a distinctly historic strategy. Stróc represents the primary of a number of households based mostly on centuries-old signal painters’ manuals and samples, providing a up to date replace on early Twentieth-century business lettering traditions while sustaining a transparent connection to its supply materials.
Created utilizing only some key strokes in Illustrator—a constraint that echoes the signal painter’s restricted gestural vocabulary—Stróc is an up to date fashionable sans serif that is daring, clear, and refreshingly easy. The preliminary launch comprises a number of weights and types with alternate glyphs and discretionary ligatures, offering flexibility from ornamental purposes by way of to physique copy.
What’s compelling about Stróc is its unpretentious performance. This can be a easy sans serif designed to convey intent clearly, whether or not that is in headlines, signage, packaging, or operating textual content. The connection to signal portray custom offers it character with out affectation: you possibly can really feel the comb strokes and handbook craft informing the digital kinds with out the design turning into nostalgic or self-conscious about its heritage.
Gallagher notes that many extra households are within the manufacturing pipeline, suggesting that Stróc is merely the opening chapter in a bigger mission to protect and replace business lettering traditions. For designers looking for typefaces with real historic grounding that also perform in up to date contexts, Stróc presents an interesting stability: sufficient character to really feel distinctive, sufficient restraint to work arduous throughout various purposes. It is signal portray for the digital age, honouring its sources while serving fashionable wants.
