Industry: Design

Typeface Design for the Cora Font Family

Classical Roman capitals meet screen-optimized sans

Cora is a Latin sans serif designed by Bart Blubaugh and released by TypeTogether in 2008. It targets both screen and print use through an extra-large x-height, some stroke contrast, and uppercase letterforms drawn from classical Roman inscription proportions. A distinctive instroke construction—widening at entry, tapering into the curve, then broadening again on the vertical stroke—is described by the foundry as softening rigidity in the letterforms. The family ships in six styles (three weights with matching italics) and won First Prize at the Granshan awards in 2008.

Set in Cora

Insights

The extra-large x-height and slightly wide letter proportions are cited by the foundry as the primary mechanism for maintaining clarity at small point sizes.
Uppercase proportions are grounded in ancient Roman inscriptions, making all-caps titlesetting a deliberate design affordance.
The specific instroke profile—wide entry, narrowing through the curve, widening again on the vertical stem—is described by the foundry as the means by which rigidity in the letterforms is mitigated.
The foundry lists possible applications including website text, telephone directories, dictionaries, and music liner notes, reflecting a high-density text orientation.