New Additions: March 2026
30th March 2026
From the hundreds of fonts we add to the Identifont database every month we chose a selection of the most interesting recent additions, and interviewed the designers about their approach to each design:
Jan Weidemüller – Porteron (Rellence)
What inspired you to design Porteron? Was it for a particular project?
Porteron didn’t start from a specific client project. It grew out of an interest in exploring a certain tension within geometric forms, something that sits between strict construction and a more softened, almost industrial feel.
The character shapes in Porteron are very pleasing, and seem midway between the ellipses of Helvetica, and the rounded rectangles of Eurostile. Is that a fair description?
Yes, it sits somewhere between those two approaches. Not as neutral as classic neo-grotesques, but also not as strictly constructed as Eurostile. That in-between space was important for the overall tone.
How did you draw the character shapes in Porteron? Are they mathematically defined?
No, they are not mathematically defined. Early on I was quite focused on building type through strict systems, assuming that a mathematically correct structure would lead to better results. In practice, the opposite was often true. The shapes were consistent, but visually off.
These days I rely almost entirely on visual judgement. There is an underlying logic, but decisions are made by eye rather than by formula.
The only other font I can find to compare with Porteron is Hermann Zapf’s Melior; although it’s a serif rather than a sans serif, the characters have similar shapes. Was that or any other font an influence on its design?
Melior wasn’t a direct reference during the process. In general, I try not to work from specific precedents, but rather develop ideas through drawing and iteration. Any similarities tend to appear more as a by-product than a starting point.
Göran Söderström and Stefania Malmsten – Tid (Letters from Sweden)
You’ve described Tid as "an interpretation of The Best Typeface in the World”, by which I assume you mean Times. What prompted you to undertake this project?
For us, Times has always been a mix of fantastic curves, strong contrast and an interesting “default look”. But the digital versions available always had problems, and just looked bad. The modern revivals on the other hand, were either something completely different, or did not feel like Times even thought they were based on Times. Tid is how we want Times to look, and maybe even thought it looked; wishful thinking.
We share a love for Times, and Stefania used it a lot in her early years, but in recent years we found it hard to use. Typefaces that are not originally designed in a digital environment usually have bad kerning (especially numbers), uneven weight, and lack full language support. This affects both accessibility (poor legibility) and inclusion (characters for minority languages). Tid is about fixing these things, and the style or look is what follows.
Presumably you felt that it was possible to improve on "The Best Typeface in the World". What improvements does Tid incorporate?
We would say it is a careful, respectful, but not too respectful revival. Taking the best of Times, and changing what we feel is not working so well. For instance, all the spurs and tails are cut either horizontal or vertical, making it look less flimsy. Contrast is a bit lower, making it look more sturdy. The x-height is raised a bit in order for it to work a little bit better in smaller sizes, and bringing it together. Serifs are more balanced, avoiding those extreme white spaces Times has in certain letter combinations. The weight distribution is also more optimised for setting text, with smaller steps between the weights, for nuanced type settings.
Tid Italic is more restrained than Times Italic (compare Tid Italic and Times Italic); for example, the ‘Q’ has a short tail rather than a z-shaped flourish, and the ‘z’ has a flat base rather than a flourish. Why did you decide on this approach?
The original italic is almost like a completely different typeface. What we did was an italic to the Roman, that is more based on the Roman than trying to be decorative. Again keeping it together more, tighter. A flat ‘z’ feels more clean, simple, less details that can jump on the page or screen. Why should the ‘Q’ look different in the italic, if it’s not about decorating? Also, the original italic was impossible to use for longer texts.
How did you prepare for creating Tid?
What we found in our research was that Times was the result of collaboration. Not only between Stanley Morrison and Victor Lardent; there was also a significant contribution by the draughtswomen, such as Dora Laing at the Monotype Type Drawing Office who developed the different styles and sizes.
The design of Times was developed from Plantin, one of the first Monotype revivals that was not just a copy of a typeface already popular. Plantin is loosely based on a typeface from the 16th century by Robert Granjon. Typography is a collaboration with your dead colleagues.
Giuseppe Salerno – Onni (Resistenza)
Your tagline for Onni is “Designed in Helsinki”. Since your foundry Resistenza is based in Valencia, Spain, how did that come about?
Being a small foundry gives us the freedom to work from anywhere. Helsinki had been on our list for a while, we finally made it happen. We spent few weeks lettering-hunting through the city. What amazed us wasn't only the respect for design woven into every corner, it was the bravery. Fresh typefaces used with real conviction, unexpected pairings everywhere you look. The Finns are fearless creators, always unexpected.
Onni has something of a dual personality. Many characters such as the ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘O’, ‘b’, ‘p’, and ‘q’ are based on circles and straight lines, reminiscent of a geometric typeface like ITC Avant Garde, whereas other letters such as ‘E’, ‘J’, ‘S’, ‘g’, and ‘k’ have strokes that bend as if they were created with flexible tape. What inspired this?
Onni started with a Speedball A-Series nib: the broad-edge, flat ones that produce a uniform stroke in any direction with squared beginnings and endings. That tool shaped the whole character of the typeface. Some letters, like the ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘O’, are built on perfect circles and straight lines, rooted in the classic geometric tradition. But others, the ‘E’, ‘J’, ‘S’, ‘g’, refuse to follow the same rules: their strokes bend naturally on the paper's surface. It wasn't meant to be too sophisticated. That contrast is intentional. I wanted geometry with a human pulse. We wanted something contemporary and nostalgic too. But I get the Avant Garde connection, maybe unconsciously, it was always there! I'd say some '20s–'30s rational Italian typography was probably influencing Onni too.
Another feature that is not present in Onni Thin, but which becomes more visible in the heavier weights up to Onni Black, is the wedge-shaped gaps where strokes meet; examples are the ‘Q’, ‘e’, ‘h’, ‘k’, ‘m’, ‘n’, ‘u’, and ‘y’. What was the thinking behind these?
That comes directly from the Speedball nib. When you write with a broad-edge pen and two strokes meet, the ink naturally leaves a small wedge-shaped gap at the junction. In the thinner weights it's barely there, but as the strokes get heavier, that gap becomes more pronounced, just as it would on paper. In Onni Thin it simply wasn't necessary at that weight; a wedge would look like a mistake rather than a feature, so we kept the joints clean.
Onni has a quirky appearance; did you have any particular applications in mind when you designed it?
Not really a specific application but more a feeling. We wanted something that could work for a sparkling branding, packaging, editorial, logos, or anywhere you need a display face with personality. But above all, we wanted it to feel approachable and a little unexpected. If it makes someone smile while still looking professional, that's exactly where we wanted it to land.
Benoît Bodhuin – Waldeck (BB-Bureau)
You’ve written that Waldeck was designed for Waldeck Néel, who developed your website. How did the collaboration come about, and was he involved in its design?
The meeting came about through a mutual friend, Antonin Faurel, with the idea of a reciprocal and economic collaboration. Waldeck trusted me completely; it was practically carte blanche. He only specified that he really liked Pickle Standard. It was the starting point for Waldeck. What followed was a series of very natural exchanges.
One of the most unusual aspects of Waldeck is the extra vertical stroke on many lower-case characters, such as on the ‘b’, ‘d’, ’n’, ‘p’, ‘q’, ‘r’, and ‘v’. What inspired that feature?
It is inherited from Pickle Standard, itself inherited from Standard, and its grid-based design leading to an exaggeration of the connecting lines and accompanied by a zigzag pattern, like folds that are quite natural in Waldeck Black and somewhat burlesque in Waldeck Light. It is therefore a personal interpretation of the connecting line.
Waldeck has five weights, from light to black. The black weight has an Art Deco look about it, whereas the light weight is unique, almost alien, in appearance. Did you begin by designing the more conventional black and then develop the lighter weights from that?
Initially, Waldeck was only available in black, and Waldeck Néel held exclusive rights to it. Recently, we decided to make it commercially available and share the profits, while also diversifying weight. The black version has been redesigned following the weird style of the light version. I love the idea of linking the weight variations to variations in expression (particularly to explore the variation between the two).