Ourselves
Gradient Type is an independent foundry and design practice exploring typefaces with equal parts curiosity and restraint (depending on the day and the quality of the coffee). We find a strange satisfaction in questioning traditional typography approaches, teasing apart established ideas and putting them back together in ways that feel useful, unexpected and sporadically quirky. Our work lives in the zone between experimentation and application. If it’s too weird, it’s a lab accident, if it’s too safe, it’s boring. Innovation without tradition is just a mess, tradition without innovation is a nap. We prefer to stay awake.
Our Clients
Over the years, we’ve had the distinct pleasure of collaborating with a diverse cast of businesses, organisations and brave individuals. Each one has left an indelible mark on our creative landscape and occasionally, on our stress levels. Our client list is a very diverse universe, ranging from massive global corporations that could probably buy a small moon, to some of the world’s most renowned design agencies who are just as picky about bezier curves as we are. We worked with Coca-Cola Company, NIO, Dailymotion, The Verge, Envato, Koto Studio, DesignStudio, Moving Brands, Wieden+Kennedy, Careem, Qonto, just to name a few.
Our Process
Function is Not a Curse…
Letter experimentation is fun, but if no one can read your “innovative” glyphs, you haven’t made a typeface; you’ve made a puzzle. We build tools, not trophies. Our work lives in the sweet spot between “How on Earth did they do that?” and “Oh, that looks easy peasy!”
The World is Not a Monolith
The Latin alphabet is fine, but it’s had enough screen time. We obsess over multiscript systems because humanity speaks in thousands of voices, and they all deserve to look sharp. The world is bigger than just a single script, and your brand should be too.
Tradition is a Floor, Not a Ceiling
We have immense respect for the masters of the craft, but we aren’t interested in living in a museum. We take the rigor of the past and shove it into the future. Tradition is a great start but we prefer the finish line.
Better Fonts, Better Humans
Good design is a civic duty. Clearer communication leads to fewer misunderstandings, less friction, and maybe, just maybe, a slightly more empathetic world. We design for the human eye, the human brain, and the human messiness that connects them.
Perfection is Boring, Precision is Mandatory
We leave room for the soul, the quirk, and the “why not?” but we never compromise on the technical math. A typeface should be mathematically perfect so it can be emotionally expressive.
Our Contact
Custom type, general questions and all business inquiries