Typeface Design for Lineto
A cease-and-desist letter both renamed the font and supplied its exact wording
Laurent Benner's debut type project began in 1999 as LL PEZ, extending the rigid three-letter construction logic of the PEZ candy brand into a full alphabet. A cease-and-desist from PEZ International prompted a rename to LL Tablettenschrift, borrowing the exact phrasing of the legal letter. As part of the Lineto 1.1 project, Céline Odermatt proposed a clean redraw and introduced AM and PM shadow variants — casting the drop shadow left or right — in place of an earlier variable-shadow concept. Benner then collaborated with Anatole Couteau, who expanded the character set, fixed many characters, and built a brutalist stylistic set. Weichi He applied finishing touches and added a layerable Fill cut. Font engineering and mastering by Alphabet, Berlin.
Set in Tabletten
Insights
- The original 1999 release fixed the drop shadow to the right side, mirroring the PEZ logo's three-dimensional treatment.
- Odermatt's AM/PM solution replaced an earlier variable-shadow concept, casting shadows left or right depending on version.
- The Benner–Couteau collaboration expanded the character set and produced a brutalist stylistic set; He later added the Fill cut.
- The Fill cut supplies a negative-space layer rather than functioning as a standalone typeface, enabling colour fills via multi-layer stacking.
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