Typeface Design for TypeMates
Geometry meets botany in a grotesque built on productive contradiction
Sombra is an organic grotesque typeface designed by Paul Eslage in 2020 for TypeMates. It pairs geometric construction with leafy, sharply swelling strokes and exaggerated incisions, creating tension between structure and organic momentum. The family spans seven styles from Condensed Light to an Extended Black, plus an Ultra Black Poster style featuring overgrown terminals and hairline punctuation. Each style carries over 700 glyphs with support for more than 200 Latin languages.
Set in Sombra
Insights
- The Ultra Black Poster style extends the family concept with overgrown terminals and hairline punctuation and symbols, pushing expressiveness beyond the standard weight range.
- Width and weight vary simultaneously across the family—Condensed Light at one extreme, Extended Black at another—allowing width-weight tension as a design tool.
- Sixteen named stylistic sets cover functional needs (compact currency, tabular widths, gender-star alternates) alongside character alternates for wordmark customisation.
- Elevated decimal figures and compact currency settings are built in specifically for price and time display contexts.
Related articles
Keep exploring
Related cases
