Brutal Types: Unearthing Europe’s forgotten interwar letterforms

Europe’s rich tradition of architectural lettering remains largely untapped by the type design world, with only fragments adapted for contemporary use. Paula Mastrangelo and Ramiro Espinoza recognised this gap when they launched Brutal Types in 2024 – a foundry dedicated exclusively to display typefaces inspired by the experimental alphabets of Europe’s interwar period. Rather than reviving the same well-documented examples found in graphic design history books, the duo embarks on extensive fieldwork, walking and cycling through Dutch cities to capture forgotten letterforms on building façades, tombstones and vintage book covers. Their systematic approach to documentation and revival has uncovered genuinely overlooked material from architects, artisans and anonymous designers of the 1920s and 1930s, creating a growing collection that offers access to character-rich typefaces with authentic historical roots. TBI: Hi Paula and Ramiro! How are you both? RE: Hi TBI! We’re doing well and just starting to enjoy our vacation. The final stretch of the Brutal Types project was a lot of work, and we were exhausted.