Typeface Design for Irma Display Slab
No overshoots, no leading: every letter the same height
Irma Display Slab is a capital-only slab serif family designed by Peter Biľak and released by Typotheque in 2009. Round characters such as O, C, and G carry no overshoots, making every letter exactly the same height and allowing lines to be set with zero leading. An OpenType contextual system assigns each letter one of four positional forms—initial, medial, final, or isolated—so negative space between letterforms can be orchestrated into deliberate typographic patterns. Over 200 discretionary ligatures further tighten and differentiate text settings.
Set in Irma Display Slab
Insights
- Eliminating optical overshoots on round letters is the structural decision that enables zero line-spacing in an all-caps setting.
- The four-form contextual substitution system (initial, medial, final, isolated) is controlled via OpenType layout features, not manual alternates.
- Tal Leming is credited as a contributor to the Latin encoding alongside designer Peter Biľak.
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