Stencil Typeface for Lineto

Zinc stencils, digitised across three decades

LL Le Corbusier, designed by Chiachi Chao and released in 2024, replaces two earlier digital interpretations of antique zinc lettering stencils—styles historically sold in European hardware and art supply shops throughout the 20th century. The family covers four styles: two redrawn from scratch (initially redrawn by Sascha Bente in 2019, then fully reassessed and expanded by Chao after he joined Lineto in 2022), an Oldface style associated with Le Corbusier's architectural drawings, and a Cameo variant derived from the physical contour of the zinc stencils themselves. Font engineering and mastering was handled by Alphabet, Berlin. The new files are entirely incompatible with predecessor versions due to redrawn outlines and new metric data.

Set in LL Le Corbusier

Insights

Two styles were initially redrawn by Sascha Bente in 2019 but sat unreleased until Chao joined Lineto in 2022 and undertook a full reassessment.
Chao balanced refinement against preserving the inherent roughness of the stencil forms rather than smoothing them into neutrality.
The Cameo style is derived from the physical silhouette of the zinc stencil objects, adding scope for playful use.
The family is manually kerned with an expanded contemporary glyph set, making it incompatible with the 1999 and 2004 predecessor releases.