Gestalten

Your name / Company name
Olof Lindqvist and Sebastian Wadsted / oloflindqvist.com, sebastianwadsted.se

Place of work
Stockholm, Sweden

A short description about you and your work?
We are two graphic designers who just graduated from Beckmans College of Design and Konstfack Arts & Crafts, We often work with printed matter and live and work in Stockholm.

Can you give us a description about the font, concept and background?
Client Mono is a new mono-spaced typewriter-inspired font family that comes in three weights - Light, Regular and Bold. We drew Client Mono using open shapes to make it easy to read in small point sizes as well as being able to work well in headlines, to work visually in both larger and smaller sizes. The fonts' rounded corners give it a modern look.

How would you describe the character or creative potential of your typeface?
Client Mono is a modern typeface that is designed to work for both text sizes and for larger display sizes. The font works well for multiple applications and different areas, making the possibilities endless.

Does developing a typeface start with the character (the individual letter) or are there intermediate stages in which a kind of rhythm develops?
It depends on what kind of font you are creating. Usually, we start with the individual key characters. During the process you always have to change the letters so that they all fit together and that creates a nice rhythm.

Do you design your fonts by hand, or directly on the computer?
Mainly we design fonts directly on the computer. Before that, we always start with drawing the basic key letters by hand to set the fonts' mood.

Can you explain why and what makes you develop a new typeface? Or which typefaces catch your eye as something special?
We have always been fascinated by fonts and letters and characters in general.

How did you get into type design? Or did you have a special experience that was really important for you?
When we were younger, we spent a lot of time painting graffiti where everything is based on experimenting with letters and forms. As our interest in the letter has not decreased, it has been a natural step for us to start developing typefaces.

How does a typeface start to emerge for you? What triggers it, or are you always addressing a particular design problem?
There is a lot of feeling in letters and typography as a whole. There are limitations in terms of function to relate to, but beyond that they can act as illustrations in and of themselves.

What do you think about the future of type design? Are there any interesting aspects even from a technical point of view?
Thanks to today's digital development, designing new typefaces takes a whole lot less time, which leads to more typefaces being produced. In spite of this, it doesn’t seem that there is less need for fonts. We believe custom made fonts will become a natural part of graphic designing, something both small and larger businesses will need. Because of the digital revolution, the huge choice to pick from and the easy availability of fonts, the need to be unique and stand out makes companies require more specialized profiles, including special fonts.