Early sans serif typefaces came in contrasting flavours: from crude and loud designs for posters and advertisements to plain, no-frills jobbing type for small print. States is a synthesis of both extremes, a quintessential grotesque with a few surprises under its hood, released in two versions: States Grotesque and States Rounded. A generous selection of alternates turns the imperfection of physical printing into standout features, while celebrating grotesque eccentricities that undeservedly ended up in the dustbin of history. In the Variable font, both versions of States are connected through a “Pressure” axis.

Some stories begin with the discovery of something missing. While researching American sans serif type from the late 1800s, Anton Koovit was struck by a lowercase letter t that looked like someone had taken a bite out of its ascender. The typeface in question is Gothic No. 2, as offered in twelve sizes by the Boston Type Foundry in their 1889 type specimen. To be precise: 48 point Gothic No.2, the largest size on offer. The curious detail is not repeated in any part of any other character on the page. This take on type design – at once sober and inconsistent, allowing room for unicorns and misfits – triggered the design of States.
    In the early 19th century, sans serif letterforms are no longer an uncommon phenomenon in lettering, and in 1816 William Caslon IV’s foundry presents the very first sans serif typeface under the exotic name “Egyptian.” Featuring only capital letters, it is offered in a single size, which we would name “Headline” today: two lines of body text. Initially this modest debut seems to be a one-time experiment; serifless type is no instant hit. In the 1830s, two more British foundries present their take on the genre, using names and styles that are still commonplace today: “Sans-Serif” (uppercase only, by Figgins) and “Grotesque” (a condensed design with both upper- and lowercase, by Thorowgood). When the style makes its way to the United States in the mid-1800s, the unstoppable rise of the sans finally takes off, on both sides of the Atlantic.
    In the United States, sans serif type grows up from infancy to adulthood in an uncharted landscape. Foundries offer “Gothics” in all kinds of styles and sizes. There are original designs, followers and outright copies. Names are often absent – both of designers and typefaces. Usually they are simply called “Gothic” plus a number, and they are typically released as a single weight in a handful of sizes. Foundries appear to agree that a certain degree of roughness or inconsistency is part of the game when it comes to sans serifs.
    In no small part, the idea of quirky early grotesques comes from our modern context. We are surrounded 24/7 by type in countless forms which yet follow more or less the same conventions about proportions. We can distinguish between grotesques and neo-grotesques, and have fully embraced the concept of type as a system of cooperating characters. Looking at early sans serif letters, what is most striking is what distinguishes them from modern ideas.
    Take for example the capital letter G. Beginning with “Caslon’s Egyptian”, the G would often have the same shape as we are accustomed to – but without a crossbar. While that letterform looks unusual now, it was a perfectly normal variation back then.
    Even so, the imperfection of early grotesques contrasts with the flawless execution of other typefaces in type specimens of the time; a lack of technique is clearly not the cause. Perhaps foundries had not yet figured out the concept, and maybe some roughness was even desired for a grotesque. The sans serif typefaces of the late 1800s vary between crude and loud display designs and plain, no-frills jobbing type, often used in small sizes. The wild years of the sans serif typeface in the United States come to an end with the creation of mega-merger ATF and the work of type designer Morris Fuller Benton. A new wave of grotesques successfully presents itself as streamlined all-rounders, systematically organised into families with multiple weights and widths. In the next few years, early single-style grotesques quietly exit through the back door.
    States is not a revival of any particular typeface, but a love letter to the past through today’s lens. A quintessential modern grotesque with harmonized proportions, including a generous selection of stylistic sets. As a toolbox for amusement and typographic finetuning, these alternate letterforms celebrate an array of grotesque eccentricities that undeservedly ended up in the dustbin of history.
    And there’s more: States honors its roots as a physical tool. In the printer’s workshop, all kinds of pressure - from the printing press to deadlines - impacted the appearance of letters. Metal type was often used well past its expiry date and forced to perform despite clogged joints and missing details. Koovit saw an opportunity to turn these accidents into standout features. The fonts contains two “minimal” stylistic sets. Inspired by battered metal type, these radically reduced letterforms offer futuristic options for a selection of lowercase characters. States includes a Rounded variant as a reference to clogged up printed letters. Users of the Variable version can set their ideal roundness with a “Pressure” axis.

Text by Matthijs Sluiter

States is a #fatypeflux release, our label for newer typefaces. Like you, we are curious what States’s future will bring. Licenses for a individual styles include free future updates. Licenses for family packages include future updates plus free access to additional family members.
To receive the Variable font, purchase both Grotesque and Rounded, or the Complete Family.