Letters

Letters is the story of type. Our fonts are cutting-edge digital, hand-crafted analogue—their heritage is written in the intertwining histories of design, technology, literacy, and everything else. This is where we pay our respects. To read the series from the beginning, click here. Find our latest issues below.

Swiss International

Max Miedinger, designer of Helvetica

Letters part 38: The most popular typeface ever and the epilogue to modernism in typography.

New Typography

The New Typography

Letters part 37: Jan Tschichold's New Typography and the conclusion of our series on modernism and typography. 

Lost Typography

Reichslotterie (Empire's Lottery) appears in a Roman type over a shattered Berlin street; the result of an evil gambit

Letters part 36: Nazis, degeneracy, a short-lived Blackletter revival, and part 4 of our series on modernism and typography.

War Typography

 Letters part 33: WWI propaganda and part 1 of our series on modernism in typography.