The Foundry Types tackles typographic sameness with Foundry Æterna

Design has a neo-grotesk problem; the same handful of sans serif typefaces appear everywhere. “With the persistent reliance on ubiquitous, overused typefaces in visual culture, a deeper issue comes into focus, one of complacency, sameness and creative stagnation,” The Foundry Types’ Stuart de Rozario explains. “What began as a pursuit of clarity and neutrality has calcified into default thinking, where type design no longer challenges or contributes, but merely fills space.” Foundry Æterna, the sans serif release from The Foundry Types, addresses this cycle head-on. Rather than producing another revival or facsimile, de Rozario and his design partner David Quay set out to create a decisive interpretation of how a neo-grotesk should function in modern typography – one that’s “grounded in the lineage of modernist foundations and minimalist principles, yet unafraid to speak with distinct tone, rhythm and detail,” de Rozario notes. The typeface’s name finds its roots in the Latin word for eternal – a nod to the timeless questions that have preoccupied scientists, philosophers and religious leaders throughout history. This ambition towards permanence shapes every aspect of Foundry Æterna’s design, distilling over a century of typographic nuance into a versatile family.