The Inside

An overview of the design process of Recife and its cousin Valizas.

An old plaque of Fate s.a., a tyre factory workshop in Nueva Helvecia, Uruguay.

I lived in Montevideo for a few months. Uruguay is a rural country with many agricultural machines. Every tractor needs its own repair shop, so there are quite a few of them.

Once, I found one of these workshops with a unique plaque; it stated “Fate”. The clever yet straightforward lowercase f in the logo of this tyre factory caught my attention. That’s how a typeface concept was born: by adding spaces into as many counter forms as possible.

The concept is to add spaces into counter forms.

First quirky scribble of Recife.

Since the old “Fate” logo used a sans-serif typeface, I initially set out to create a grotesque font. However, I quickly switched to a serif typeface, which seemed like a more obvious choice. Serif fonts are usually more calligraphic, which gives them greater contrast. So the concept fits better.

Time-lapse: the evolution of the Recife font.

I designed Recife for editorial needs. Its design follows the Dutch tradition of serif typefaces. Adding extra space in the counter forms was easily achieved, giving the letters a subtle elegance. In 2018, I published Recife Text and Recife Display.

A variable font animation shows the final version of Recife Text.

After finishing Recife, I always thought about creating a matching sub-family called Recife Sans. However, after several attempts, I wasn’t fully satisfied with the sketches of my Sans version.

I set Recife Sans aside for a few years. Then, in 2021, I revisited the idea and reconsidered the entire concept. There had to be a way to use this concept in a sans-serif font, as it offers a distinct visual strategy that adds a unique character to letterforms.

Eventually, I found a new way to apply this concept. Instead of making a sibling to Recife, I decided to introduce a cousin. This allowed me to think more independently of the original typeface while focusing on how to apply the concept to a separate font.

Sketches from 2021: the Sans Version needs a larger x-height...

...and a punchy character.

I named the Sans cousin Valizas. The goal was to design Valizas with a larger x-height, giving enough vertical space to support its expressive character. Valizas has a fun and flowing look that makes it stand out as a unique typeface.

A variable font animation showcases the final draft of Valizas

This summarises a process that took several years. This project has shown me the power of simple concepts in visual design and that some ideas need time to develop fully.