Meet Selestin: The Northern Block’s calligraphic high-contrast serif

A creative challenge can spark something unexpected. For The Northern Block’s Tasos Varipatis, the 36 Days of Type challenge in early 2023 began with simple experiments on paper – quick sketches of a lowercase ‘n,’ then an ‘h,’ then an ‘m.’ The results felt disconnected, lacking cohesion. Then came an instinct to introduce a circular element into the design, and everything shifted. Those early forms have since evolved into Selestin, a high-contrast display serif where ball terminals orbit through text like small celestial bodies, giving the typeface its name and character. “This feels interesting. It doesn’t feel familiar, but it might work,” Varipatis recalls thinking during those initial explorations. What began as uncertainty became conviction. Between 2023 and 2024, Selestin developed through a process that resembled sculpture more than conventional type design. “It felt like working with clay, shaping up curves and engraves,” he explains. The calligraphic origins remain visible in the finished typeface – a trace of the hand that first drew these forms on paper before they entered digital production. Selestin draws from an unusual constellation of influences. Varipatis studied 18th-century engraved typography alongside the work of Art Nouveau artists including Alphonse Mucha, Antoni Gaudí and Aubrey Beardsley. The movement emerged in response to Neoclassical rigidity and the automation of mass manufacturing – an apt touchstone for a typeface crafted through careful experimentation. Art Nouveau’s flowing rhythms subtly shaped Selestin’s curves, while the precision of engraved metal type is clear in its crisp serifs. The sensibilities of Beardsley appear in the fine detailing, the way inked features interact with white space. “Selestin is a synthesis of experimental drawing, graffiti and Art Nouveau,” Varipatis notes. “Of personal and collective experiences with calligraphy, and explorations of form, contrast and rhythm. My knowledge and experience are integrated – it’s a bridge of all these things.”