Charles Nix, Monotype Type Director, chose Luthon Southard Script by Lemonthe & TT Arlen by TypeType as a pair because they are vastly different. Pairing is about contrast. A fat sans like TT Arlen and a monoline script like Luthon Southard combine to provide maximum formal contrast.
I chose to pair Manofa & Apoka both by well-known foundry The Northern Block. These fonts have the same bones. A pairing like this works because while the typefaces’ styling are completely different (which provides the all-important contrast Charles mentioned), their underlying skeletons are similar in shape — their x-heights, open apertures, simplicity of form — and proportion. The angularity of Manofa paired with the softness of Apoka yields inline contrast at its best. - Sara Soskolne
Going outside the same family or same foundry approach, I aimed for a strange-bedfellows approach here, with a contemporary and eclectic pairing choosing Quincy by Connary Fagen & Portland from Fenotype. - Sara Soskolne
Next up: Ramillas by TypeType & Visby Round by Connary Fagen - “Same weight, different clothes: Here, I focused on a simpler idea: pairing fonts of two completely different styles in the same weight. The subtle stroke contrast in Ramillas adds an important dimension of difference from the monoline strokes of Visby; but alternatively, Visby could also be paired with another monoline face in the same weight with a totally different structure — like a script or a blackletter. - Sara Soskolne
Another pairing strategy is to find a family that provides you with a wide-ranging “meal kit” of parts that you can combine in innumerable different ways. There are so many possible versions of this lockup just from this one family: every possible combination of inline, sans, slab, and shaded versions of the same essential set of forms. This is a reliable approach, especially for the pairing beginner. - Sara Soskolne
Continuing with the “meal-in-a-box” family approach, there are more traditional systems in which the usage is implied. We’re talking optical sizes – specific typefaces for specific sizes: close-up ready Display fonts; workhorse Text fonts; and rugged Micro fonts like Blacker Pro from Zeta Fonts. - Charles Nix
We’ve not paid much attention to the width axis, so let’s make up for that in this digestif menu. It uses just a small portion of the vast Klik family from Fenotype, taking advantage of both weight and width contrast, resulting in a nice push-pull combination. - Sara & Charles
Thank you for stopping by to browse through our collection. We look forward to your next visit.
Calluna Sans and Calluna is a trademark of exljbris. Lubalin Graph is a trademark of Monotype ITC Inc. registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and which may be registered in certain other jurisdictions. Electra is a trademark of Monotype Imaging Inc. registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered in certain other jurisdictions. Clearface Gothic is a trademark of Monotype GmbH and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Perpetua and Corsiva is a trademark of The Monotype Corporation registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Futura is a registered trademark of Bauer Types. Sunbeat is a trademark of PintassilgoPrints.
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