Founded by designer, calligrapher, and lettering artist Neil Summerour in 2000, Positype recently reaffirmed its independence with the launch of a new website and 40(!) new typefaces — bringing the library to 2,145 fonts across 165 typefaces in six writing scripts. The shiny platform is also laser-focused on designers’ needs, offering new pricing tiers and licensing categories.
Amidst the typography industry’s corporate consolidations, Positype proudly asserts that it remains one of the largest independently controlled font collections.
Customers, agencies, and creatives are looking for independent foundries to offer more. This new site is a blend of modern functionality with subtle nods to successful approaches from our past.
Neil Summerour
Positype celebrates “subtleties of mass, perfect imperfections, warmth, and uniqueness,” making the website a pleasure to peruse.
We had some fun exploring the newest typefaces in the Positype family, from the techno-futuristic Ginza Pro Wide (above) to the award-winning Clear Sans Pro. The accessible and multilingual typeface was influenced by early 20th-century signage in five new writing scripts (we love its Korean expression, shown below in Extra Bold).
Envy (above) is, well, fun—and that’s the official word on the site, folks. Smiles is a whimsical and retro-fabulous release, influenced by wood type designs and hovering at the edge of legibility (below).
You’ll also find workhorse typefaces like Overture (below). The Bodoni-inspired typeface, 24 years in the making, was aptly named as a nod to the Debussy Summerour listened to on loop while designing it.
We’re partial to Overture’s fantastic ornaments and swashes.
Halogen Pro is a softer, refined take on its iconic predecessor, with expanded script support in Greek and Cyrillic.
Read more about the relaunched website and the new typefaces on Positype’s blog.