Type, Tracking & Terminals: 7 more sans serifs with a twist including Lineto and NaN (Part Two)

Following on from our first batch of not-so-normal sans serifs, we have more! Here are seven additional typefaces that find inspiration in the human, the robotic, and the humanoid grey area in between. 

A variant born from its parent Klarkeit Grotesk, Extraset’s Klarheit Kurrent retains the original structures of the Swiss type foundry’s geometric and modernist flagship family. The striking difference is the feature of extreme cuts in some of Klarheit Kurrent’s letterforms. Intended to enhance the authenticity of headlines, these sharp and subtle features provide an atypical atmosphere when using this font for workhorse tasks. Designed to echo modernism and geometrical standards, the typeface does not include a stylistic set. Rather, the decisions behind the typeface are intended to outline an ideological approach.

ES Klarheit Kurrent by Extraset

Forgotten Shapes have published a digital reconstruction of the sans serif Monument from Emil Gursch’s type foundry, which was originally released in Berlin in 1903. High-waisted, narrow and lightweight, the most distinctive features of the sans serif are its abrupt shoulders. Arches in letters like ‘h,’ ‘m,’ ‘n’ and ‘u’ don’t flow gently into the stems, but rather sport a long straight diagonal, creating a unique angular look. 

Monument by Forgotten Shapes

Designed by Dominik Huber, Grilli Type’s GT Planar tests the limits of a 90-degree range. The functional typeface is able to transition seamlessly from -45° Retalic to +45° Italic while retaining its integrity. By combining Retalic, Upright and Italic styles into one continuous design space, GT Planar bends the laws of type design and gives us an exciting look at Swiss Futurism. The website is also excellent.

GT Planar by Grilli Type

LL Replica, designed by NORM and released by Lineto in 2008, is a sharp response to Hel­vetica, Univers and Unica. The bold sans serif design features a notable lack of right angles – all of the characters are cut off in the corners, resulting in a rounding effect. LL Replica was born out of an arbitrary simplification and self-induced restriction of the grid. In place of the 700 units for standard caps height in Fontlab, the grid was reduced to just 70 units. The result of constructing the font on this strict grid can be seen in the shape of each individual glyph. Designed for both intricate typesetting as well as use at larger point sizes – on headlines and signs, for example.

Replica by Lineto

Applying a construction rarely seen in the neo-grotesk genre, NaN Holo is a versatile organic-synthetic hybrid created by Berlin-based type foundry NaN. Looking to the humanly un-human world of Philip K Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Holo is a replicant-inspired fleshy neo-grotesk font in proportional and monospaced styles. Built on an industrial frame, the font’s biological forms combined with rectangular counters, round curves, and wider-than-usual capitals provide a human-ness which errs on the uncanny valley.  Reliable both in its small and large applications, Holo oscillates between a quieter and sturdy workhorse and a warm characterful headline typeface.

NaN Holo by NaN

Inspired by the aesthetics of robotics and machinery, Neue Machina is a font suited for the future of technology. The versatile typeface by Pangram Pangram Foundry boasts apparent and deep ink traps in its heavier weights while providing a lighter-weight plain cut for more subtle designs. With rounded corners, overshot terminal and monospace-like features, Neue Machina is a powerful typeface with plenty of personality. 

Neue Machina by Pangram Pangram Foundry

TWK Everett is a contemporary neo-grotesk typeface known for its characteristic sharpness. Emerging during Nolan Paparelli’s studies in Lausanne and initially inspired by the American photographer Daniel Everett, the project evolved to become Paparelli’s own take on the grotesque genre. With a symmetrical structure that balances organic drawing with a particular digital flavour,  the typeface provides graphic high tension whilst also prioritising reading comfort and fluidity. The versatile family offers various solutions within creative applications – with weights varying from Hairline all the way to Super.

TWK Everett by WELTKERN®