OTT’s Eliott Grunewald on building an independent type foundry with soul

The digital era initially sidelined ornamental and display typefaces, relegating them to amateur sites while pro foundries focused on text families and workhorse sans serifs. Eliott Grunewald founded Ornamental & Title Type to challenge that hierarchy, building a foundry that treats expressive typography with the same technical care and typographic rigour traditionally reserved for text design. Drawing inspiration from vernacular lettering – storefronts, signage, hand-painted letters found in everyday public spaces – OTT has developed a catalogue that embraces boldness and risk. The foundry represents both a personal evolution and a broader industry shift. Grunewald transitioned from custom commissions for clients to establish a publishing platform that champions his own work alongside collaborations with independent designers. In this conversation, Grunewald discusses the foundations of his practice, the design processes behind typefaces, and why display typography's increasing visibility signals something more significant than a passing trend. TBI: Hey Eliott, how are you doing? EG: I’m doing great, thank you. The past few weeks have been quite intense; since the start of the season, the pace has been pretty fast, but that’s actually a good thing.