Custom Typeface Design for Libération
X-height as display feature, not a legibility device
Production Type designed a bespoke typeface family for Libération's 2015 editorial redesign, led by art directors Yorgo Tloupas and Javier Errea. The brief called for ultra-condensed, tall, flat-sided sans serifs capable of serving print, web, and mobile. Libé Sans is built around a colossal lowercase x-height treated as a display feature rather than a legibility aid, with short ascenders and descenders for tight line-fitting and dense page texture. A 'Stacked' accent system supports all-caps setting across the full weight and width range.
Set in Libé Sans
Insights
- Vertical proportions are held constant across all width variants so styles can be freely mixed within a single line of type.
- Short ascenders and descenders were deliberately specified to enable tight line-spacing and a consistently dense texture in the page grid.
- The 'Stacked' accent system provides an alternate diacritic arrangement for all-caps setting.
- The family was scoped to three condensed cuts but only one normal and one extended width, reflecting where horizontal economy mattered most.
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