From an Instagram account, a slew of custom typefaces, to an experimental foundry: meet T72T

One thing leads to another at T72T. At the experimental type foundry – founded by Sam Dallyn and Sara Lundqvist as a natural extension of their design studio Lundqvist & Dallyn – typefaces are born from freewheeling experiments, commercial projects that needed a bespoke touch, and even a “few letters from a logo” from a scrapped project that later led to a full character set. Almost always constructed based on a grid, T72T’s typefaces have a decidedly futuristic tone – all sharp edges and dramatic curves – which seem like they’d feel just as striking a few decades from now, as they do today. To trace the steps that led them to T72T, we spoke to Dallyn about the project’s humble beginnings as an Instagram account, peeled back the layers of its journey, and learned how a simple rule of creating glyphs that excite them gets things going at the foundry.

RB Hello Sam! How has this month been treating you?

SD We’ve been enjoying the wet weather, and workwise, we have just finished two projects – custom typefaces for a ballet and a sports brand. We’re currently working with a new photographer and creating a typeface which animates on interaction.

RB Take us back to the beginning – how did the two of you come together to form Lundqvist & Dallyn?

SD Our motivation to start our own business was to create a more flexible lifestyle to allow us to spend more time with our children. We are grateful to have a diverse client base, which we have built from our previous agency work across the globe, catering to established brands and early-stage startups alike.

Our work follows a simple rule – we create glyphs that we like and excite us.

RB What drives your shared interest in typography?

SD We have always been passionate about typography. I started my journey with a degree in typography from Reading University, which sparked my interest in this field. On the other hand, Sara grew up in Sweden, where her design aesthetic was influenced by clean functionality, modernism and innovation. This combination of Scandinavian design principles and our expertise in typography brings a unique flavour to our work.

RB And then, what led you to found your experimental type foundry T72T?

SD Initially, we created our Instagram account as a platform to showcase our love for typography. We started experimenting with custom typefaces for a few projects. Then, we decided to take it further and create something without limitations. Our work follows a simple rule – we create glyphs that we like and excite us. Although we aspire to design a legible book typeface, we realise how time-consuming and challenging it can be. Therefore, for now, we are focusing on creating things that bring us joy.

RB Why did you choose this particular name?

SD It began as a fun experiment, but the number 72 was significant to us because it was one of our favourite standard point sizes for big and bold headings. T72T comes from ‘Typo72Typo.’ We initially used the word typo to refer to a mistake; we just wanted to keep things lighthearted.

RB Does Lundqvist & Dallyn’s creative DNA extend to that of T72T, in any way?

SD We have been striving to blend our commercial work with T72T. Sometimes, there is a natural connection, while other times, it leads to new projects. This fusion is evident in the custom projects on T72T with Spencer Lowell, Peden+Munk, and Battlefield 2042. Whenever an opportunity to collaborate with a client arises, we always explore custom-type options. Our work balance involves a mix of financially stable projects and passion projects, although these distinctions have become increasingly blurred over time. As a design duo, we work closely together. Sara focuses more on project management and creative ideas, while I primarily handle the typography work.

RB Is there a shared theme or idea that – either conceptually or stylistically – strings together the family of typefaces you’ve designed so far?

SD All the typefaces we’ve created so far have been for display purposes. This is because we’ve wanted to develop quickly, use the typefaces and enjoy them.

RB Which of your typefaces was the most difficult to design? Also, which are your favourites?

SD The most challenging typeface we designed was for a unique ballet project that will be launched soon. It was initially a daunting task because we were unsure how to achieve the desired result, which made the beginning quite stressful. However, we learned a lot from it. The typeface has a more classical form, making it much more labour-intensive than our usual direction. What started as just a logo design ended up becoming a full-character set.

On the other hand, Proxy-mono is our favourite typeface, as it originated from a cancelled project where we created a few letters for a logo. We then used these letters as a blueprint for all the other glyphs. We paused the project for a couple of months, but when we came back to it with fresh eyes, it really helped us see it in a new light.

RB How experimental is the process of designing a new typeface?

SD For us, using grids to create typefaces is a logical approach and the easiest way to get started. When using a grid and filling the squares to create a system, starting with a few letters that look right can help build the other letters. It involves a bit of back and forth as you encounter problems that don’t work with all characters. Typically, we begin by experimenting with shapes and connecting them to see if any desirable patterns emerge. These patterns can serve as a foundation for developing other characters. We enjoy discovering patterns in the type, and finding ways to connect glyphs in unexpected ways.

We sell our products, but making money does not motivate our design process.

RB As a young type foundry, how much do you consider how well a typeface will sell when you start designing it?

SD We sell our products, but making money does not motivate our design process. We create things that interest us and that we hope will interest others. We understand that many of our typefaces are not standard and are quite niche. Still, we see this as an opportunity to stand out.

RB What’s next for T72T?

SD We’re always working on small type projects with a few characters to see if we want to develop the rest of a typeface, but we have a few that we just haven’t had the time to finish. We’d love to get to those next.

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