A pair of typefaces for Rapha

Two typefaces rooted in Caslon history, separated by over a century in origin

In 2017 Rapha Art Director Jack Saunders approached Commercial Type to replace Trade Gothic and Adobe Caslon, which had reached practical limits after years of use. Paul Barnes and Dan Milne created Rapha Sans and Rapha Serif, unveiled March 2019 and rolled out across online, print, clothing, and merchandise. Rapha Serif was later expanded and released publicly as Frame.

Set in Rapha Sans, Rapha Sans Condensed, Rapha Serif

Insights

Trade Gothic's limited weight and width range, and Adobe Caslon's small x-height and long descenders, were the stated drivers for replacement.
Rapha Sans adapts Caslon Doric No. 4 (first appearing in the 1870s), delivered in two widths and six weights from Light to Extrabold.
Rapha Serif draws on William Caslon I's Great Primer (1734) and uses a larger-than-expected x-height with reduced descenders without feeling overtly economical.
The headline cut of Rapha Serif develops the text variant with greater contrast, slightly narrower proportions, and tighter letterspacing.