Cosimo
A humanist sans that resists calligraphic mannerism
Cosimo is a humanist sans-serif designed by Matthieu Cortat and released by 205tf in 2017. Where many humanist sans typefaces tend toward roundness and calligraphic influence, Cosimo draws on the spirit of Gill Sans: strong shoulders, low stroke contrast, and a certain darkness in print. The family comprises eight styles across roman and italic. Named weights—Light, Regular, Bold, and Black—each carry a slightly different character while remaining cohesive as a range.
Set in Cosimo
Insights
- The foundry positions Cosimo against over-rounded, calligraphically influenced humanist sans conventions, with Gill Sans cited as a point of reference for its structural approach.
- The italic was deliberately kept restrained—unusual for the humanist sans category, where italics often move toward cursive expressiveness.
- Light, Regular, Bold, and Black were each described as having a slightly different personality, suggesting weight-specific design decisions across the range.
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