Typeface Design for Material

Early 19th-century poster type rebuilt for contemporary typography

Material is a contemporary slab-serif family by Optimo, rooted in the Bauer Foundry's Breite fette Egyptienne—itself a revival of Vincent Figgins's Antique, one of the earliest slab-serifs. Originally designed by Nicolas Eigenheer, the typeface was entirely redrawn two decades later in collaboration with Niklas Herrmann, shifting from a purely display role to a multipurpose family covering small text through large headlines. The block-like horizontal serifs prompted a dedicated set of uppercase ligatures designed to create striking headline compositions.

Set in Material

Insights

The original design was entirely redrawn with a second designer two decades later, expanding it from display-only into a multifunctional family.
Stripping the design back to essential forms revealed what the foundry describes as a surprisingly delicate structure and a soft, rhythmic texture.
The block-like horizontal serifs drove the creation of a specific set of uppercase ligatures intended for playful and striking headline use.
Proportional oldstyle figures are set as the default, with tabular lining figures available via OpenType feature, reflecting a text-first typographic priority.