Variable Typeface for Lineto
From a vanished high-street sign to a variable font
LL Cobra originated in 1996 when Cornel Windlin adapted the letterforms of a British sportswear chain's logo—itself closely resembling Ad Werner's 1972 Dubbeldik—expanding five geometric two-line shapes into a full alphabet, included in Lineto's first online catalogue in 1998. In 2022, Samara Keller and Weichi He revived it as a variable font, correcting and harmonising the original lettershapes, completing the glyph set, and introducing modulation of the two parallel mono-linear stroke widths to shift the black-to-white ratio across an unlimited range.
Set in LL Cobra Var
Insights
- The source alphabet comprised only five letterforms; Windlin expanded these geometric two-line shapes into a complete set.
- The variable dimension controls the relative width of two coherently mono-linear parallel strokes—not overall letter width—shifting figure-ground balance rather than proportions.
- Keller's revival prioritised correcting and harmonising the original lettershapes before introducing the new variable dimension.
- Font engineering and mastering was handled by Alphabet, Berlin—a discrete production role separate from design authorship.
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