DataLife Engine - Softnews Media Group

The Utile type collection consists of two sets of styles, one for smaller set typography and one intended for display enabling corresponding use for various sizes and applications. The optical scale characteristics differ in a few ways: Utile (Text), featuring a sturdy letter build, is spaced more openly with compensating ink traps, while the contrasted Utile Display is closer spaced with re-proportioned letters, slightly extended ascenders and descenders, and close to non-existing ink traps. Utile’s incised stem modulation, uniquely asymmetrical in its application, attempts to maintain a balancing act between swelled strokes and the absence of such. A family of fourteen styles offers a balanced range for identity-branding, editorial and advertising for print and screen.

Utile started out as an extensive study of numerous sans-serif typefaces that have their roots in the type classification of static Grotesks and Neo Grotesks. In parallel to this exploration and during the design process, divergent consideration came into play, such as maximum flat-open apertures in upper cases (C, G, S) and lower cases (c, s), a concept that was later abandoned to return to more measured apertures with moderately open humanist lower case forms to enhance the reading experience for smaller set text.

Although the concept of flat-open apertures was set aside, it provoked an exploration of stroke contrast and an addition of glyphic details that led to lightly swelled terminals for both text and display styles. The asymmetrical incised stem definitions, applied with measure, help to render the type rhythmically animated with a touch of classical letter heritage. To keep reverberations of the pen at its lowest, the majority of upper cases are then also mostly spared of glyphic details generally maintaining a sans identity. The Utile collection is reminiscent of typefaces designed during the mid 20th century enunciating a certain elegance and fluidity.