Oktal Mono Font Family by Delve Fonts

About: A monospaced type family composed of entirely mono-linear and modular structure, Oktal Mono first began as a design-philosophical discourse between Joachim Müller-Lancé and Erik Adigard of the design studio M-A-D in Sausalito, California. The typeface later came to life as a design experiment wherein a type designer (Joachim) and a graphic designer (Erik) collaborate each in their own capacity, from within their respective disciplines.

Erik had proposed the idea of a typeface concept that would be intentionally generic but with no curves what­soever, approaching legibility by breaking expected curves into facets. Joachim concerned himself with examin­ing systematically what happens when a circle is reduced or translated to a square, hexagon, and octagon, and which of these treatments appear the “least alien” to the original design: A condition that might even depend on the re­lation of type size to line width—smaller sizes requiring fewer facets so they won’t look merely like crumpled curves.

After an octagonal base was determined most ap­propri­ate for the average text size, the required glyphs were as­sembl­ed on a square grid like a construction toy, yielding large numbers of variations. Lastly, in lively discussion as al­ways, character shapes were select­ed for the best fit in rhythm and a con­sistent aes­thetic.

Although Oktal Mono began as mono-linear, a slight mod­ul­ation was applied to ease reading: Horizontal strokes were made a tad thinner than the verticals, with diagon­als weighing in between. While never straying from 45° diagonals, detail was achieved by subdividing the grid for more complex characters and smaller shapes. Thus, the rhythm of letterforms becomes more intricate at times, but the tempo never changes.

Serving Suggestion

Regardless of the construction method, Oktal Mono has a clean, rational aesthetic, devoid of ornamentation but still approachable and friendly. Use it un­compromis­ingly to facilitate cutting edge graphic design and new ideas. Put its versatility to the test; try it out for portions of text or go big for product packaging, logos, and posters.