What’s been cooking up in typography over the summer? Quite a lot, actually. We share some of the latest typefaces to inspire your next project.
You don’t expect much news over the summer months. We journalists see them as barren months for anything exciting happening. Everyone’s on holiday, including the government. So opening up my usual ‘fonts’ folder in my email was a relief. I was worried there wouldn’t be anything there.
Instead, it’s been a bit of a bumper month. New specimens have come in. One from F37, with a new typeface that surely has a bigger story behind the name… we know Rick Banks pretty well. We want the gossip. And there are updates from Chill Type, Mark Julien Hahn (Founder of Softdrive in Berlin), and designer Simon Stratford.
But first, this just in from Ukrainian designer and developer, Dominik Levitsky. He’s launched Fontalog – a free and “extremely fast” database that already indexes more than 3.5 million fonts. Instead of only relying on font names or broad categories, the site lets you search using measurable visual characteristics, such as weight, contrast, proportion, and x-height. Unusually, it doesn’t use AI to analyse the fonts. Definitely one to check out.
And I also want to mention Arthur Schwarz, co-founder of Bolid System, a young type design studio based between Paris and Neuchâtel. They’ve just launched their font catalogue with loads of fonts and free trials to play with. We like Milkshake Display, a display typeface “born from anemoia”, meaning a “longing for a time never experienced”. Like the Gen Z kids hankering after the ’90s. Or something to that effect.
[Yolo](https://www.suitcasetype.com/fonts/yolo-text) by Suitcase Type Foundry
Oh, and one more bit of news before we begin: Suitcase Type Foundry has a new website. But it’s more than a redesign; it’s a new platform for presenting its typefaces through interactive testers, editorial content and real-world applications. Plus, there’s a simplified licensing system – music to our ears.
In the meantime, what new treats do we have for August? Read on.
1. Lingo by Softdrive
Mark Julien Hahn, founder and type designer at Softdrive Foundry, has just released Lingo – a transitional serif in 12 styles. That includes six weights plus true italics, built as a workhorse for long-form body copy. Our kind of territory.
It’s inspired by 18th-century typefaces from the likes of William Caslon, John Baskerville and Louis Simonneau’s Romain du Roi. It takes all their old-world charm, low stroke contrast and letterpress warmth as the foundation for this contemporary text face. But there’s a twist. On closer inspection, you’ll notice little drops on the ‘g’, ‘f’ and ‘a’ that give this serif personality and drama. Alternates are available when pure legibility is the priority.
It includes a full set of international glyphs through ten stylistic sets that swap classic letterforms for phonetic ones, built for expressive display type and logo work. The full family is now available, with a full trial version if you want to experiment first.
2. Sektor by Chill Type
One of the best things about running this regular series is discovering new foundries. And Chill Type is one of them. Its founder, Vedad Siljak, reached out this month to tell us about its latest release: Sektor.
It’s a monumental slab serif with tight counters and even tighter spacing. Gorgeous. It mixes hard cuts with squarish curves, with technical precision and smooth stability I know you’ll appreciate. The large slab keeps it grounded, while the thin punctuation adds nice contrast to the heavier letterforms. Naturally, it’s a great shout for huge headlines and bold statements.
The type nerds among you will be delighted to hear of its inspiration: the logotype of an East German watercolour manufacturer. A typeface with a backstory. Perfect.
3. F37 Slabhead by F37
Now I’m curious. Who is ‘Chad’ based on? Is it Rick Banks? The friendly face behind F37, dare I ask? These things always come about from office banter, I suspect. We’d love to know if we’re right. NOT that Rick has a slabhead. It was just the description: “a square head with a soft side”. Which, when I think about it, Rick does kind of have a square jaw.
Whatever it was inspired by, F37 Slabhead is a geometric slab serif with a sturdy frame (more clues) and a “surprisingly approachable personality”. It has broad proportions (proper Northern) and solid weights for impact, while teardrop terminals keep it from getting too serious.
Styles range from Regular to Black, with matching italics, too. As F37 puts it, “Slabhead can go from quietly dependable to completely thick-headed”, making it ideal for headlines, identities and “anything that needs to make a strong impression without looking like it’s trying too hard”.
Big head. Soft edges. Lovely personality. Just like Rick… I mean, Chad. Available via the foundry now.
4. Resan by The Designers Foundry
Daniel McQueen from The Designers Foundry has been in touch. He’s just released Resan, a super family inspired by the transitional types of the 17th and 18th centuries. It’s got warmth. It’s got timeless elegance. But it’s also precise.
It has a sharp rhythm with generous proportions, giving it decent impact at display sizes. It also lets you change the terminal shapes, shifting the type’s entire feel and mood.
It’s currently offered in 10 distinct display styles, and if you like what you’ve seen so far, a series of optical weights is in the works.
5. Tuffo by Type Everything
We’ve already shared this one in a recent newsletter. But we like it so much, we added it to our August roundup. Another fun display family; this one’s inspired by the expressive lettering of William S. Gillies but with a modern twist. It’s rich and warm, and full of personality. It captures the spirit of vintage Italian bodega signs (one for you, Luigi). It also has a touch of old packaging, along with neighbourhood restaurant charm and playful commercial graphics.
Tuffo is named after the Italian word for ‘dive’, suggesting we take a leap into bold and colourful type, full of flavour, character, and – most importantly – fun.
This one will feel at home across packaging, logos, food brands, restaurants, children’s products, and modern visual identities. It’s a brilliant balance between nostalgic charm and modern usability. Available in six weights, with a variable font that interpolates across the full range. Nice.
6. Puerile Display by Applied Systems
Up next is Puerile Display – a decorative typeface inspired by Civilité, a 16th-century French type style designed by Robert Granjon to look like elegant handwriting. It was originally meant for teaching children to read, hence the name “puérile”.
This isn’t a straight revival by Applied Systems, though; it’s more of an inspired design, so you get all the ornate, calligraphic and slightly Gothic feels, but with a modern take. Basically, something you could use today rather than only confine to a museum.
It includes plenty of OpenType extras, such as alternate letterforms and stylistic sets, so you can dial up or tone down the historical flourishes. In short, it’s readable but deliberately playful and unusual. The point is that the letterforms aren’t fixed, as they’ve always evolved. This latest offering by Applied Systems has fun with that idea.
7. Se Micro by Gallery Type
Se Micro is the small-size companion to Se Macro, released by Gallery Type earlier this year. They share the same basic skeleton, but Se Micro works well in small or difficult settings, like tiny text or low-quality printing, perhaps even on screens.
There’s a nice twist, too. When you blow this typeface up to larger sizes, those practical features become a visual style in their own right. It looks distinctive and quirky rather than just doing its thing of being legible, especially in bolder weights.
This is an option for branding work across fashion, culture and design-led products. It comes with 10 weights and three widths. And it’s part of a growing family: Se Macro is also out, as I’ve mentioned, but hold onto your hats for Se Mono and Se Rounded, due out later this year or early 2027.
8. Suspiria by Felipe Sanzana & Latinotype
One more for August: Suspira is a sans serif in the grotesque tradition. All the blunt and workmanlike style of early sans serifs, but without trying to stay neutral. What do I mean by this? Well, you know how Helvetica tries to disappear into the background on purpose? Suspira wants to be noticed.
How? It has rounded stroke tips and sharp angles, and the diagonals give it a tense, punchy feel. The capitals are drawn so their visual weight sits high up. The lowercase letters are wide and sturdy. The heaviest weight (Black) bunches the letters so tightly that some strokes touch. Great for impact.
So you see, Suspira takes its influence from those Victorian-era sans serifs, which were quirky and characterful until neutral modernism tamed them. This new family prioritises recognisability over uniformity. It’s meant to stand out rather than be a quiet supporting act.
The practical stuff? Eight weights from ExtraLight to Black, 530 glyphs, and a nice set of arrows. This one’s for headlines, logos and bold branding. Use it anywhere you want type to make a statement.
