Monotype.

Welcome to
We at Monotype are not fans of doing things for the
sake of doing them—or because they’ve always been
done a particular way. Like design choices, each report,
article, and even tweet should be backed up with a

the 2022 Type

reason. In compiling this year’s Type Trends report, we
toyed with the idea of including a trend about trends
reports. Why do these things exist? As designers, we
always seek to identify visual patterns to twist, improve

Trends report.
upon and eventually break. Maybe it’s as simple as that.

This report is not our work. It’s work by brands and

agencies that we admire and whose work really stood
out over the last twelve and some odd months. We’re
sharing it for educational purposes to tell a story of
typographic creativity and some of its root causes. This
is not an advertisement for Monotype; it’s a celebration
What’s trending? of the unique typographic voices of our times.

Well, Trends Reports…

Type Trends 2022. 2

Design as a reflection of society.

What you’ll find on the following pages is the result of a

year’s worth of looking, collecting, and curating by the
COVID-19 is the backdrop—the constant hum and
crackle—the catastrophe—touching every life on the “Let’s talk about
Monotype Studio. Each year we reflect on which trends
have continued, which ones have morphed, and which
planet. The content we produce and designs and forms
we create are all direct and indirect confrontations, months. Months
ones withered on the vine. responses, coping mechanisms, and escapes from the
pandemic. “Trying times.” “Challenging times.” How used to be pretty
So, what has shaped our recent times? What overarching
themes paint the backdrop for the shape of words?
quickly we all grew tired of hearing the euphemisms
for “crappy” and “stressful.” So, we’ll say, “In crappy inconsistent. Some
It’s safe to say that the macro trends influencing the
and stressful times, tending to our fundamental needs
feels like a luxury.” Sound sleep, good diet, meditation, months were 30
type design community are nearly too long to list. After
yet another “unprecedented year,” we would be remiss
feeding the spirit: these are the necessities that often
become casualties when we focus solely on work. days, some were
to ignore the external forces that shape our shared
human experience. Socioeconomic, political, and
According to McKinsey & Company, the “wellness”
industry has a market size of $1.5 trillion and is 31, and one was 28
cultural happenings influence how people feel, what
they want and need, and in turn, give us insight into
expected to grow 5–10% annually. Embracing beautiful
forms is a form of meditation— it’s tuning out to tune in. or 29. This seemed
how to deliver it to them. It is soulful self-preservation. What if bad feelings are
telling us something important? too confusing, so
All things considered, the environment is the only
trend that matters—every decision we make individually Speaking of bad feelings, most of us experienced some now they are all
and collectively impacts the earth. The decisions
we’ve each made—and those made long before we
degree of time warpage in the last couple of years—
time moving very slowly or time moving very quickly. four days long.”
were born—have left their mark on the planet. We’re Studies have been conducted (like this one in 2020
designers. We can be part of the problem, or we can be that found more than 80% of participants felt time was —Eli Grober, Here’s How Time Works Now,
part of the solution. Earth first. distorted), and others are ongoing to quantify what all McSweeney's, May 12, 2020
of us feel: time isn’t what it used to be.

Type Trends 2022. 3

How does our relationship with time influence our is necessitating digital differentiation. “I am here. I am company Habito. This case study could have been
typographic preferences? It could be business as usual: me. Recognize me. Connect to me.” Our design and included elsewhere in this year’s report. It hits some of
stealing haphazardly from the grab-bag of type history, typography is a call to others. the right notes, very on-trend ink-traps in the display
or it could be something more specific: the wholesale type (Right Grotesk by Pangrampangram). It uses the
embrace of the meandering lines of Art Nouveau (see Being digital means that we seek the social change idiosyncratic Roobert from Displaay Type for text. The
Trend #1 on page 11). we want in the digital arena. Social media is to the illustration style and color palette are very en vogue as
21st century is what radio and TV were to the last: the well: Peter Max meets Vaporwave and Miami Vice.
Last year, we marveled at the appearance of nostalgia medium, the mouthpiece, the motivator, the mover.
in design, with our ode to soft-serve serifs: the classic, Social media has become the chief vehicle for creating Now, look at badass soft drink brand Gerry’s by Frietag
soft-edged typefaces that became the basis of awareness, organizing, and creating actual change. Anderson. It’s bang on the soda vertical. No subversion
countless rebrands, offering a sense of familiarity and here but similar visual properties, nonetheless. Both
comfort during “crappy and stressful” times. In 2022, Truth is the first casualty of being digital. That cases speak to customer expectations and how to
we see nostalgia continuing to find its place as major appropriation of phrase is hyperbole—but determining challenge them, especially post-lockdown.
automakers lurch toward electric vehicle production, who and what we can trust in our digital lives amongst
some leaning on retro vibes to make new car concepts constant information overload is an exhausting daily It can be easy to overlook something like a fresh take on
more approachable. Nostalgia and automobiles go struggle. Typography can play for both teams— mortgage branding, but the Habito rebrand reminds us
together like gin and tonic. And while the form of retro convincing us that what we’re seeing is authentic— how powerful and unexpected, out-of-the-box design
electric (old car-body types) isn’t particularly inventive, and just as often leading us down dark and dubious can be. When examining the trends on the following
adopting classic shapes to acclimate consumers to alleys. Additionally, binary thought—the either/or pages, we as curators—and you as exhibition goers—
a completely new concept of what an automobile and divisiveness often encouraged by online forums, need to ask these questions over and over again: What
means or what it means to drive—that, that is a great comment threads, and social media—benefits some and is the content? What is the context? And how are they
conceptual use of nostalgia. hurts others. As creatives, we need to slough off siloed playing with or against the form? The courage of any
thought to embrace diversity, find unity, and deepen design however is in how the design elements meet the
Another result of the pandemic is that it has brought respect as we search for visual expressions content (a mortgage company!) and the language (“Life’s
us face-to-face with our digital selves, digital others, of inclusivity. too short for life admin”). It’s when we ask, “What’s going
and digital brands. We experience so much of our world on here?” that things get truly interesting.
through screens. Devices connect us to content and Looking ahead, each type trend is a curated picture,
each other—and disconnect us from our past. And as a mini exhibition, or a room in an exhibition. Each
we watch developments in the world of cryptocurrency, piece also has its own story. While our collections —Charles Nix, Phil Garnham,
its crossover with digital art through NFTs, and the and juxtapositions draw attention to formal aspects and The Monotype Studio.
burgeoning “metaverse,” the lines between digital of creative work, the challenge for you is to puzzle
and physical continue to blur – for better or for through the equation of form and content—and to learn
worse. Our fundamental need to be seen and heard from that inquiry. Take, for instance, the mortgage

Type Trends 2022. 4

Habito.
Agency/designer: Uncommon Creative
Studio and artist: Saiman Chow.

Type Trends 2022. 5

Gerry’s.
Agency/designer: Freytag Anderson.

Type Trends 2022. 6

Trends.

1 2 3 4 5
Neue Svelte Loopy. Mix-Up. Organic-Mod.
Nouveau. Serifs. Page 21 Page 27 Page 32

Page 11 Page 16

6 7 8 9
Flux. Throw-Up. It’s a Trap! Certified NF-Type.
Page 39 Page 48 Page 52
Gold. Page 61

Page 57

Type Trends 2022. 7

 Callback:
Trends Report 2020–2021

More soft-serve,
please.

Cristal.
Agency/designer: WeWantMore®.

Type Trends 2022. | Callback 2020–2021. 8

In the spirit of reflection, we’ll start not with a new
trend but with a trend that’s morphing from last year’s
report. Soft-serve is our shorthand description for bold,
soft, old-style typography—new uses and adaptions of
designs like Windsor, Cheltenham, and the ever-popular
Cooper Black. Last year, we identified the soft-serve
serif trend and watched it evolve throughout 2021.
The latest example is from WeWantMore® in Belgium,
for Cristal. It’s an old-school, lager-brand-style serif
reminiscent of 1970’s Heineken and Holsten Pills bottles
in the UK, only it feels much more vibrant, expressive,
and relevant today. Cristal is the oldest lager brand from
a nation known for its beer, and although its position is
unique, Cristal didn’t fully own it until now. The soft-
serve trend is helping the brand reclaim its place at the
forefront of the Belgian beer landscape.

Cristal.
Agency/designer: WeWantMore®.

Type Trends 2022. | Callback 2020–2021. 9

 Cristal is not alone—there are scores of others leaning
into the popular trend. COLLINS branded the social
media app Clubhouse in the Windsor type style. Bidmii
uses the Plantin-like Value Serif from Colophon.
American food brand Core & Rind, Irish clothier Ilk,
and European biscuits brand Loacker each lean on the
Windsor model. And finally, the Swedish beer brand
Pang Pang turned to the soft-serve staple Cooper Black
for a limited-release package design.

This is certainly nostalgia at work, connecting the

audience to an idea of a previous time and place. It’s
also in contrast to the predominant trends of the past
two decades. The soft-serve trend has been with us for
about five years now and people are getting used to it.
It’s still very popular, but some designers are starting to
look for something new, leading it to evolve into some-
thing far richer.

Loacker. Core & Rind.

Agency/designer: Spider. Agency/designer: Herefor.

Pang Pang. Bidmii.

Agency/designer: Jens Nilsson. Agency/designer: Vanderbrand.

Clubhouse. Ilk.
Agency/designer: COLLINS. Agency/designer: Grandson.

Type Trends 2022. | Callback 2020–2021. 10

Neue
Nouveau.
Neue Nouveau is trend with varying degrees of excess.
On one end, there is type with organic lines and dramatic
curves that speak to nature and biodiversity, and at the
other end, there are legibility-challenging, psychedelic,
flowy forms speaking to the push-pull of pandemic time.

Type Trends 2022. | Neue Nouveau. 11

Enter Neue Nouveau, a trend with varying degrees of
excess and, as with soft-serve, various touchpoints in
typographic history. It’s a retelling of the Art Nouveau
typographic story, with some new plot points. Its organic
lines and dramatic curves speak to nature and the
environment. And at its legibility-challenging extremes,
it speaks to the push-pull, twisting and looping of
pandemic time.

The Art Nouveau movement was born in the late

nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Often
considered a reaction to the Industrial Revolution,
when machine-made products eclipsed craftsmanship,
Art Nouveau is characterized by decorative designs,
embellished stroke endings, strange-vertical-stress,
diagonal and triangular character shapes. Throughout
history, designers have returned to its sinewy lines to
evoke different moods, like in the late 60s as a dramatic
Jules Chéret. 1879. Alphonse Mucha. 1898. Alfred Roller. 1898.
counterpoint to post-war traditionalism.

Ostbanhof. Victor Moscoso. Nigel Waymouth. Bonnie MacLean.

Agency/designer: Angello Torres.

Type Trends 2022. | Neue Nouveau. 12

Today, we’re seeing similar organic forms and flourishes
emerge in typography. Is this rise of Neue Nouveau
a response to the world gone full pixel, full tech, full
function? In the groovy end of the Neue Nouveau
spectrum, we have Nick Towers’ new studio We
Are Nothing’s fantastic identity for Amore, a British
record and entertainment label. The typeface is a
reinterpretation of Motter Ombra designed by Othmar
Motter in 1972, a mod take on turn-of-the-21st-century
Nouveau and Jugenstil forms.

For pure earth-forward Neue Nouveau, there’s the

lovely Park Lane Hotel branding by Mother Design
agency. Inspired by the New York City hotel’s rich
history and whimsical architecture, the letterforms sit
amongst moss, fauna and flora, differentiating the Park
Lane from the antiquated, traditional luxury hotels
surrounding it. As we said in our introduction—Earth
first. That’s where the beauty lies.

Amore.
Agency/designer: We Are Nothing.

Park Lane Hotel.

Agency/designer: Mother Design.

Type Trends 2022. | Neue Nouveau. 13

Speaking of the organic nature of everything, Neue
Nouveau’s squishy, malleable voice leaves room for
distinct sub-genres. Whist Slick is restrained, it wants
to impress. Think of it as a luxury brand maker, like
in the dramatic custom type by Violaine & Jérémy for
Pharrell’s Saint Tropez restaurant, ToShare. Acid-flow is
the counter-cultural one, an all-in new-wave expression
of the pen and the artist holding it. The psychedelic
flowy forms flirting with illegibility in the custom
lettering for Mercuria Magazine by Jacob Wise are pure
acid-flow. Soft-chic straddles the mid-market, delivering
comfort and accessibility, evident in the beautifully
inclusive branding for LBDO by Universal Favourite.

ToShare. Paris is Melting, Reckonwrong.

Agency: Violaine & Jérémy. Agency/designer: Jacob Wise.

LBDO. Visionair.
Agency: Universal Favourite. Agency/designer: Studio Airport.

Type Trends 2022. | Neue Nouveau. 14

Finally, walk down the beverage aisle of any grocery
store or into any craft beer shop, and you’ll be dazzled
by creative, colorful cans with artwork as artisanal as
the drinks themselves. The growing consumer interest in
wellness, conscious consumption, and organic products
is the perfect match for Neue Nouveau’s natural forms.
This haze craze started with hazy IPA beers but is also
popping up in packaging for soft drinks, fermented teas,
and tonics. Some of the standouts are: Grand Terrestrial
Rhapsody with drippy Nouveau; Tree House Bright is
cosmic Nouveau, Electrojet is fabulous slab Nouveau,
Hazy Memory is worrying Nouveau, Never-ending Haze
is never-ending Nouveau, and Adventures in Time
Surfing is just that. Fun and flavorful, this haze craze
is an exciting interpretation of the trend that’s making
cans collector’s items and welcome canvases for living,
breathing branding.

Stone Hazy IPA. Emersons Hazed & Confused.

Geography: US. Geography: US.

Terrapin High & Hazy. Oskar Blues One-Y IPA.

Geography: US. Geography: US.

Brooklyn NA IPA. Hopworks Totally Chill.

Geography: US. Geography: US.

Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing. Highlander Strange Haze IPA.

Geography: US. Geography: US.

Oskar Blues Thick Haze. Grand Terrestrial Rhapsody.

Geography: US. Geography: US.

Lebron Haze. Tree House Bright.

Geography: US. Geography: US.

Abita Purple Haze. Electrojet.

Geography: US. Geography: US.

Bear Republic Thru the Haze. Hazy Memory.

Geography: US. Geography: US.

Mismatch Hazy IPA. Never-ending Haze.

Geography: US. Geography: US.

Adventures in Time Surfing.

Geography: US.

Type Trends 2022. | Neue Nouveau. 15

Svelte
Serifs.
Thin, light serifs are in – again. Svelte Serifs are a slimmed
down, sophisticated update on the bold, round, old-style
serifs we nicknamed “soft-serve” last year.

Type Trends 2022. | Svelte Serifs. 16

Last year, we spoke a lot about cultivating contrast
and drama in your work. This year, thin is in—again.
Bold, round, old-style serif types were the first obvious
stylistic counterpoint, and we saw so much of that last
year. We called it “soft-serve,” and now it’s everywhere.
This year, the serif trend continues but slimmed down
and slightly more sophisticated.

The work that COLLINS agency and Swiss type foundry

Dinamo Typefaces teamed up on for the San Francisco
Symphony is serving strong Svelte Serif vibes. The type
forms are striking yet contemporary, responsive and
variable— each character able to morph in reaction to
the sound of music. The results are another example
of how powerful variable font technology can be when
used to elevate both brand voice and brand content.

Half Full. SF Symphony.

Agency/designer: Inside Fred. Agency/designer: COLLINS.

Type Trends 2022. | Svelte Serifs. 17

 4Ps is a pizza restaurant started in Cambodia and
branded by Rice Studios using ITC Century Light
Condensed. Odeur offers us custom Svelte Serif by
MM Brand Agency in Turkey, Manege from the foundry
Typefaces of the Temporary State offers Beelight
Housewares lightness, and Christopher Doyle & Co.
explore Extra Condensed for Saskia Wilson.

4Ps (Flour/IPA).
Agency/designer: Rice.

4Ps (T-shirt).
Agency/designer: Rice.

Current Mood.
Agency/designer: Studio Linear.

Saskia Wilson.
Agency/designer: Christopher
Doyle & Co.

Odeur.
Agency/designer: Mustafa Akülker,
Marka Works Branding Agency.

Beelight.
Agency/designer: Pupila.

Type Trends 2022. | Svelte Serifs. 18

The aforementioned Dinamo Typefaces launched the
ABC Arizona superfamily in 2021, which packs five
styles of Serif, Text, Mix, Flare, and Sans all into one
variable font file. ABC Arizona speaks to lightness in
Serif font styles, even going so far as offering up a Thin
Weight, meeting this surge in demand for Svelte Serifs
amongst the graphic design community.

Now cue: unashamed public displays of marketing.

Monotype’s own Tom Foley designed our new serif
Cotford last year, thankfully to much community
acclaim. The typeface is superb, a variable font ranging
from text and display styles fit for all long or short form
elegant reading.

Arizona super family.

Type: Arizona super family (Dinamo).

Cotford.
Type: Cotford (Monotype).

Type Trends 2022. | Svelte Serifs. 19

If there’s one name that’s come up consistently restrained role in these dynamic compositions. Amongst
throughout the making of this report, it’s UntitledMacao. all the mixed styles and glossy chrome shimmers, there
The Chinese agency created a series of works to is order and precision. Things are placed where they are
celebrate Macao’s Design Week in 2020, way ahead of meant to be. UntitledMacao, we salute you. Macao Design Week 2020.
the curve. VJ Type’s Voyage Serif Caps take on a more Agency/designer: UntitledMacao.

Type Trends 2022. | Svelte Serifs. 20

Loopy.
Loopy logos are nothing new. The arrival of Meta’s loopy
logo in 2021, confirmed that the fun, irreverent style is
something we’ll continue to see more of in logotypes.

Type Trends 2022. | Loopy. 21

Something we’ve been asking, and maybe it’s relevant
to the work you’re doing right now, is, “What does a loop
mean in a world where we’re all feeling a bit warped?”
Loopy logos are nothing new. The arrival of Meta in
2021 and its loopy logo—along with many others—
affirmed that resoundingly.

They’re not all great. (Well, let’s face it, not many of
them are great at all.) It’s a tough thing to pull off
convincingly. But loopy logos are fun, a bit irreverent;
and, most importantly their, “I could have drawn that”
appearance is humanizing. By default, loopy logos
require type designer TLC. (Ask your local type designer
to help craft your loopy logo. Execution is key.) In
the last year, we’ve seen GoDaddy by Lippincott and
Coda; Keyloop by Someone; Nagarro, EasyLife, Spring,
Hangry Woof by Hai&Ikigai and Camp, to name but
a few.

Meta. Camp.
Agency/designer: Creative X. Agency/designer: The
Refreshment Club.
GoDaddy.
Agency/designer: Lippincott Easylife.
and Codo. Agency/designer: Bastien Figuié.

Waves. Kroger.
Agency/designer: Uniforma Agency/designer: Doyle Dane
Studio. Bernbach.

Keyloop. Air.
Agency/designer: SomeOne. Agency/designer: Pentagram (Britt
Cobb) and Astronaut
Hangry Woof. Monastery (Cody Min).
Agency/designer: Hai&Ikigai
Design. Nagarro.
Agency/designer: (in house).
Weflip.
Agency/designer: (in house) Spring.
GoCompare, Ian Campodonic. Agency/designer: (in house).

Shop.
Agency/designer: (in house).

Type Trends 2022. | Loopy. 22

One that caught our eye recently was Oloo by Think
Brand Consultancy in Taiwan. Whether you love or
hate micro-mobility-scooters, we’re quite partial to a
loop, specifically in a logo when it works well. There’s
something about the disconnected nature of this ‘l’ that Oloo.
seems to fit. Agency/designer: Think Brand Consultancy.

Type Trends 2022. | Loopy. 23

We also had to showcase Pearlfishers’ new branding
work for Loop, a brand in the automotive insurance
vertical. There are nice cues to looping not only in the Loop.
typography but in the illustrations too. Agency/designer: Pearlfisher.

Type Trends 2022. | Loopy. 24

 Callback:
Trends Report 2020–2021

Lateral moves.

Diagonale.
Agency/designer: Brand Brothers.

Type Trends 2022. | Callback 2020–2021. 25

Last year we reported on a trend we termed Lateral
Moves. In all honestly, at the time, we weren’t sure if it
was too niche or too restrictive. We were pleased to see
its popularity grow steadily throughout the year.

The identity project by the Brand Brothers for Brasserie

Diagonale is simply stunning. We strongly urge a full
review of their online case study.

The Australian agency Date of Birth used the typeface

ITC Zipper to bring a mod look to Rocc organic tooth-
paste. Gentile Pizza Parlor is a restaurant in Canada
with an engaging, varied typographic identity created by
the agency Billyclub. A unique reverse-contrast type-
face features heavily. Candist is a French candy brand,
again by Brand Brothers, and again making lateral
moves with the brand’s custom logotype. The LaLa is
an Austrian vegan restaurant branded by Moodley. The
chief type is Continua by edition.studio. Finally, Polish
designer Marta Przeciszewska uses custom reverse
contrast lettering to say “Będzie Dobrze,” or “everything
will be fine.”

The LaLa.
Agency/designer: Moodley.

Rocc.
Agency/designer: Date of Birth.

Gentile Pizza Parlor.

Agency/designer: Billyclub.

Będzie Dobrze.
Agency/designer: Marta Przeciszewska.

Candist.
Agency/designer: Brand Brothers.

Type Trends 2022. | Callback 2020–2021. 26

Mix-Up.
Individuals, groups, and the culture at large are
embracing diversity—fluidity—ambiguity—inclusion.
Mix-Up is typographic diversity, pairing multiple typeface
styles in one identity to turn diversity into unity.

Type Trends 2022. | Mix-Up. 27

Individuals, groups, and the culture at large are
embracing diversity—fluidity—ambiguity—inclusion.
Mix-Up is typographic diversity. Like the Loopy logo—it’s
an easy concept that’s not particularly easy to pull off.
But even when it’s not done particularly well, the idea is
sublime: embracing differences.

The idea is old and new—or old in a new context. In

2015, Pentagram designed the poster shown for the
Yale School of Architecture. And more recently, Phillip
Kim designed the poster for the exhibition Circuit Seoul
in Korea. Sam Steiner designed the poster, “Amberg,
Sartorius, et/et.” for an exhibition in Switzerland. Finally,
breakout-design-star Cihan Tamti i created the book
cover for German publisher Slanted, for a collection of
his posters designed in reaction to the pandemic.

In Gotong-Royong Huruf, by the Huruf type collective,

it is done particularly well. Through a type design
marathon bringing together the Malaysian type
community, the collective created a Mix-Up typeface
inspired by a place and an ethos of mutual care, or
“gotong-royong”. Twenty-six designers contributed two
letters each to combat isolation, foster digital solidarity,
and document the current Malaysian zeitgeist.

Studio Cohe in Vietnam describes Ngoam’s identity as

“using ransom letters as motif” to give an impression
of “experimental cuisine” at a place “where diversity
becomes unity, where cultural ambiance breathes Yale School of Architecture 2015. Ngoam.
Agency/designer: Pentagram. Agency/designer: Studio Cohe.
life into each taste.” The agency Triboro uses a Mix-
Up treatment to express a variety of proponents of Circuit Seoul. Fast Company: Innovation by
Agency/designer: Phillip Kim. Design.
innovative design in a book published by Fast Company.
Agency/designer: Triboro.
Dutch designer Boris Bonev’s Mix-up poster is a simple Amberg, Sartorius, et/et.
Agency/designer: Sam Steiner. Let Me Experiment.
command: Let me experiment.
Agency/designer: Boris Bonev.
Breakout.
Agency/designer: Slanted, Cihan Gotong Royong (Communal Work).
Tamti i. Agency/designer: Huruf type
collective.

Type Trends 2022. | Mix-Up. 28

Agency Airbourne Studio in the UK created a Mix-Up
custom typeface called AsOne to express the idea
of “unity in diversity” for their identity. Henkel Beauty
Care in Germany is dedicated to diversity and inclusion
throughout their company and brand. Interbrand used
Mix-Up to express that in their typography. Towards
Utopia is a trans-feminist, anti-racist organization
focused on art, education, and resources. Dazzle
Studio gave them a beautiful riff on Mix-up to express
that ethos.

We are as one.
Agency/designer: Airbourne Studio.

Henkel.
Agency/designer: Interbrand.

Towards Utopia.
Agency/designer: Dazzle Studio.

Type Trends 2022. | Mix-Up. 29

Australia’s Accompany Group used a mixed-type
treatment for the event space Behold. UntitledMacao
created both the mixed-type treatment for the Onsite
Festival dance festival and a mesmerizing, kinetic
mixed-type treatment for the 2021 Present Future Film
Festival. Hey Studio in Spain created an iterative mixed-
type logo for the Missana Lab, an experimental branch
of the furniture company Missana in Valencia.

Behold. Missana Lab.

Agency/designer: Accompany Agency/designer: Hey Studio.
Group.
2021 Present Future Film
Onsite Festival. Festival.
Agency/designer: UntitledMacao. Agency/designer: UntitledMacao.

Type Trends 2022. | Mix-Up. 30

 Callback:
Trends Report 2020–2021

Blockheads.
Last year, we reported on Blockheads, a spate of 8-bit
inspired type treatments that borrowed from early digital
typography, ideas of what it meant 30 and 40 years ago
to be “digital.” Type designer Sabina Chipara has brought
some of that flavor to HS Kwartier, a real estate develop-
ment in the Netherlands branded by the agency Circus.

HS Kwartier.
Agency/designer: Circus.

Type Trends 2022. | Callback 2020–2021. 31

Organic-Mod.
Organic-Mod is the evolution of a trend we termed,
“Blockheads” last year. Following the grid as an organizing
principle, the type is organic and mesmerizing.

Type Trends 2022. | Organic-Mod. 32

 We see Blockheads evolving into a typographic form
we’re calling Organic-Mod—like in the identity for the
Finnish cultural space, Malski, designed by the agency
Kuudes. They use the amazing Pickle typeface from
bb-bureau to achieve a mesmerizingly original brand. It’s
the best of what a grid can be: an organizing principle in
which beautiful things can happen.

Whilst the origins of modular and organic design philos-

ophy go far deeper than Aphex Twin, the ‘90s shape-
shifting, noodle mix-master Richard D James sure did
create a personal brand unlike any other. Working with
graphic and type designer Paul Nicholson, the symbol
and typeface were created by chance when Richard saw
an ‘A’ symbol that looked ‘Alien’ that Paul had designed.
The amorphic shape was set for its place music and
graphic design history.

Oke is a web art gallery from the agency Thought and

Found in Australia, whose work is consistently thought-
ful and enviable. The identity is an Organic-Mod echo
of the posters and graphics of the space. And Brand
Brothers show up again, this time as the agency behind
Grow Deal, a vertical farm in France with a distinctive
Organic-Mod typeface, befitting the subject; and as the
agency behind Rond, a restaurant identity with a very
different, but still decidedly Organic-Mod
custom typeface.

Malski. Oke.
Agency/designer: Kuudes. Agency/designer: Thought and Found.

Aphex Twin. Grow Deal.

Agency/designer: Number3-ArtDesign. Agency/designer: Brand Brothers.

Type Trends 2022. | Organic-Mod. 33

Studio Nari in the UK created the identity, including a
custom typeface, for the furniture company Modular.
Jumbo Shrimp, with its custom Organic-Mod logotype,
is an eyeglass company in the UK, branded by Mother
Design. These custom type treatments and logotypes
are hyper-graphic design and typography. Trenčín for
Bratiska is a bit of design archaeology by Setup Type for
a storied clothing brand in Slovakia. The “Short Waves”
image is part of an identity for a Polish film festival
by the agency Uniforma. Makers Market is a supplier
of sustainably produced home, clothing, and lifestyle
designs in Australia branded by the agency A Friend
of Mine.

Makers Market (from loop).

Agency/designer: A Friend of Mine.

Trenčín (for Bratiska).

Agency/designer: Setup Type.

Modular.
Agency/designer: Studio Nari.

Jumbo Shrimp.
Agency/designer: Mother Design.

Short waves.
Agency/designer: Uniforma.

Type Trends 2022. | Organic-Mod. 34

Designer Qingyu Wu brings Organic-Mod to the album
art for Neo Era Romance by Fu Han. Dutch company
Meatable, a supplier of “harm-free” sustainable meat,
gets an Organic-Mod identity from the agency Koto.

The Korean music and dance event, “Garden,

Smileflower Club,” designed by Phillip Kim and
Smileflower, deftly mixes Gridnik tendencies with
diagrammatic floral motifs. The poster Progress, by the
previously mentioned Cihan Tamti , is one of the many
gripping examples in his book Breakout from Slanted.
Arata Kubota combines Organic-Mod and Svelte serif in
her identity for Hirosaki Arts Pollination in Japan.

Progress.
Agency/designer: Cihan Tamti i.

Neo Era Romance, Fu Han.

Agency/designer: Qingyu Wu.

Hirosaki Arts Pollination.

Agency/designer: Arata Kubota.

Garden, Smileflower Club.

Agency/designer: Phillip Kim, Smileflower.

Type Trends 2022. | Organic-Mod. 35

And in a formally-related-but-content-unrelated vein, we
have Nice, handmade ice cream, branded by Studio-pic
in the UK, and riffing off the shape of the ubiquitous
wooden tasting spoon.

Nice.
Agency/designer: Studio-pic.

Type Trends 2022. | Organic-Mod. 36

Rounding out our Organic-Mod collection is an example
of pure typographic exploration and meditation:
Letterform Variations by Nigel Cottier, also published
by Slanted. The concept is simple; the permutations Letterform Variations.
are mesmerizing. Agency/designer: Nigel Cottier (Slanted).

Type Trends 2022. | Organic-Mod. 37

 Callback:
Trends Report 2020–2021

Variable speed.
By now, we’ve all been beating the variable font drum
for some time, but uptake is decidedly slow. However,
there are glimmers and moments of excitement when
things get graphic-funk and actual moments when it’s
useful for users too.

This is Herokid from W Foundry in Chile. Pushing

‘O’s up against its compressed friends. Permission
by Vanderbrand is Toronto’s first size-inclusive retail
experience for athletic fashion. It again touches on
this idea of agile branding.

ThoughtMatter also worked with the custom variable

for L+F, a Harlem home restoration project. Both
are examples of typography that step away from
conventional brand cohesion in search of broader
engagement and storytelling because, conceptually,
it’s linked to its content.

Herokid.
Type: Herokid (Gaspar Muñuz, W Type Foundry).

Permission.
Agency/designer: Vanderbrand.

Quintet.
Agency/designer: ThoughtMatter.

Type Trends 2022. | Callback 2020–2021. 38

Flux.
While you were sleeping, everything came to life. Books
started talking. Pictures in frames began moving and
changing. Posters became animated 2-D surfaces.
Everything became hyper-kinetic. It wasn’t a scene from a
magical-realist novel or the latest installment of Toy Story—
but in the blink of an eye, we became digital, and the
design and typographic world has been detached from its
temporal bounds.

Type Trends 2022. | Flux. 39

Flux: Static.
Like Neue Nouveau, this is a trend with many sub-
categories. As we pointed out earlier, we experience
much of our world through screens. Posters are
made from pixels, less so with ink. Maybe that’s why
posters today feel more Flux. Or maybe it’s RGB shape
and form. Extended letters, cropped forms, bending
baselines, and good old dynamic composition. Either
way, Flux is the everyday design methodology, much like
flat design was in 2010 and beyond.

Dark Side of Typography.

Agency/designer: Ellias Hanzer.

Vlow!.
Agency/designer: Studio Feixen.

Viaduc.
Agency/designer: Wedge.
CommUNITY.
Agency/designer: Studio Dumbar.

Type Trends 2022. | Flux. 40

Flux: Var.
This is the de facto perception of variable type. Letters
that smooth out transitions are great, but what’s next?
Where’s the next level? If variable is going to land, it
needs to push further and bring more to the customer
experience and, in turn, become a valuable asset for
brands, not just a fun novelty.

Hey Satan Rock. Pynrs. Problem.

Agency/designer: Chris Gautschi. Agency/designer: Matt Fowler, OrderDesignUK. Agency/designer: Radik Sitdikov.

Type Trends 2022. | Flux. 41

Flux: 3D.
Nøtel, Lawrence Lek.
Agency/designer: Lennarts & de Bruijn.

Enter mind-boggling typographic movements that

define new spaces, environments, and focal points.
This typographic motion draws you into an interactive
experience that’s almost full meta. Imagine Oculus
environments where you can walk and play with letter-
shapes—that’s likely where we’re heading, maybe by
the time you’re done reading this report.

Lockdown.
Agency/designer: Nawaz Alamgir.

Focus.
Agency/designer: Simon Eves.

MadeThought.
Agency/designer: John Burgess.

Type Trends 2022. | Flux. 42

Flux: Play. 
Everything All At Once.
Agency/designer: Kiel Mutschelknaus.

Letters are fun. They’re joyful. And, of course, they’re

essential to communication. Here we have work from
our friends at Mucho, the always on-trend Violaine &
Jérémy, lockdown wonderings from Nawaz Alamgir
and David Milony’s fantastic collaborative project with
agencies, and Phil Garnham’s FS Kitty font taking center
stage with Wolff Ollins. These designers use fluxing
letters to cover all bases. Type as image 2.0.

Yellow Vision.
Agency/designer: Violaine & Jérémy.

MakingIt21.
Agency/designer: David Molony,
Peidmont Art Walk.
Emma Barrat, Wolff Ollins.
Agency/designer: Mucho.

Type Trends 2022. | Flux. 43

Flux: Midi.
Turning up the dial to 11 is the MIDI rebrand by
Pentagram in London. Remember that loopy logo trend?
It comes in flux form too. Pentagram’s incredible work
for MIDI reacts to sound waves, shifting in kinetic Flux
and loopy glory.

MIDI.
Agency/designer: Pentagram.

Type Trends 2022. | Flux. 44

Flux: 2D.
The flat, 2D graphic in the street is now primed, ready
and waiting for an augmented reality typographic
fix. This is the bleeding edge, pioneered primarily by
individuals and freelance designers sharing work in the
Behance, Instagram, and Pinterest universes. Keep your
eyes peeled for more typographic-led, interactive
digital advertising.

Inside/Outside.
Agency/designer: Syddharth Mate.

Love.
Agency/designer: Syddharth Mate.

Ho Chi Minh.
Agency/designer: Daniel Brokstad.

Change.
Agency/designer: Syddharth Mate.

Gravity.
Agency/designer: Roberto Warner.

Type Trends 2022. | Flux. 45

Flux: Analogue. Kuwasawa Design School Guidebook.
Agency/designer: ThereThere Design..

Flux is available in handheld, paper analog goodness

too. The Kuwasawa Design School Guidebook by
ThereThere Design brings the spinal movement motif
so present in classic design books and places it in a
full-page fluxathon. It’s beautiful creative work.

Type Trends 2022. | Flux. 46

Flux: Robu Studio.
We’ve long been fans of Andrei Robu Studio and
his Typeverything foundry. The Spaniard’s output is
immense; his work spans graphic arts, animation,
and typeface design.
His movie poster series is the
culmination of expertise across disciplines, it seeks
to exploit the shapes within our letters, twisting and
turning them inwards to create dynamic typographic
sculptures with vibrant colorful zing. Thanks so much
for sharing your work, Andrei. Great stuff.

Andrei Robu Studio.

Andrei Robu Studio.

Andrei Robu Studio.

Type Trends 2022. | Flux. 47

Throw-
Up.
Throw-Up type elevates or commercializes street
lettering style; it speaks informally and with immediacy;
and represents dimensionality and lends depth through
plumpness, folds, and unexpected overlaps.

Type Trends 2022. | Throw-Up. 48

Balloon letters and forms in Throw-up graffiti style are
showing up everywhere, sometimes on their own as a
fun and informal voice, and sometimes in conversation
with more crisp typographic fare.

Throw-up style manages a few things simultaneously:

it elevates (and/or appropriates) a street lettering style;
speaks informally and with immediacy; and represents
dimensionality and lends depth through plumpness,
folds, and implied overlaps.

Balloon letters feature rounded bubbly characters that—

like Soft-serve—speak warmly, informally, and with a bit
of nostalgia. They’re childlike and tinged with 60s and
70s retro vibes—perfect youth-oriented, organic, and
craft brands.

Life Looks Differently.

Agency/designer: RiddingInk.

Mutate.
Agency/designer: Siddharth T.

Bubble Gum.
Type: Bubble Gum (House Industries).

Nike/NYC.
Agency/designer: Phillip Kim.

Type Trends 2022. | Throw-Up. 49

The Squirrels brand was warmly received last year when or type designer on logo refinements—moving from
our good friends Jamie Ellul and Rob Clark collaborated sketch to artwork, nudging the nodes one way or the
to craft the visual language for a new adventure club other to deliver a solid brand marque. Squirrels is yet
for children in the UK. Typographically, the identity another example of how handmade softness creates a Squirrels.
confirms the benefits of working with a lettering artist meaningful connection between brand and audience. Agency/designer: Supple Studio (Rob Clarke).

Type Trends 2022. | Throw-Up. 50

One of the overarching themes in this report is that
brands are increasingly putting curves and playful organ-
ic gestures back into their typographic voices. Balloon
letters—and custom lettering more generally—are useful
vehicles for unlocking the spaces between letters and
words and creating a solid, lasting impression.

ITC Octopus.
Type: ITC Octopus (Colin Brignall, Monotype).

Source of Nature.
Agency/designer: Nothing Design Studio (Rahul Bhogal).

Throw Up.
Type: Throw Up (W Type Foundry).

Death Valley Distillery.

Agency/designer: Everyday Studio.

Type Trends 2022. | Throw-Up. 51

It’s a
Trap.
Ink Traps have two purposes: they can help small type look
crisp on screens, and they’re just plain cool. They can also
act as a point of interest, adding sparkle to an otherwise
ordinary sans serif.

Type Trends 2022. | It’s a Trap! 52

Who doesn’t love an ink trap? The more—ahem— “senior”
designers among us even remember when ink traps were
necessary to provide clarity in small type, in poor printing
conditions, and in challenging environments. Those days
have passed, but ink traps still have two purposes: They
can help small type look crisp on screens, and they’re
just plain cool. They’re everywhere, in custom fonts and
lettering for brands and in popular typefaces from a host
of digital foundries.

What do ink traps mean now? Why are they so popular?

In some instances, they allow fat faces to get fatter
without looking soft. In other instances, they act as
a point of interest, adding sparkle to an otherwise
ordinary sans.

For the Patagonia Boulder Guidebook, the agency

Ordinary Things uses ABC Whyte Inktrap from Dinamo
Typefaces, recycled paper, and algae-based ink to create
a unique and environmentally responsible design.

Speaking of cool looking ink-traps, Monotype recently

worked with JKR to create a new typographic identity

Patagonia.
Agency/designer: Ordinary Things.

Type Trends 2022. | It’s a Trap! 53

for M&M’s: All Together Serif and its companion All they also introduce a smile. They look happy.
Together Sans. Here, ink traps play their old role of
M&M’s.
making the type crisp and legible when it’s small, but Studio Najbrt in Czechoslovakia introduced lock-
Agency/designer: JKR.

Type Trends 2022. | It’s a Trap! 54

and-key ink traps into their logo and display type for
Bank iD. Vanderbrand brings visual interest to the
simplicity of their identity for the Canadian real estate
development, Alba.

Bank iD. Alba.

Agency/designer: Studio Najbrt. Agency/designer: Vanderbrand.

Type Trends 2022. | It’s a Trap! 55

 Greenspace created Every Body Suisse, a typeface
with unconventional curves and traps for the UK
clothing company Sinéad O’Dwyer. Morrow Digital
in the UK created a visual palindrome for their logo,
again using ABC Whyte from Dinamo Typefaces.
Studio MPLS used ink traps to give plumpness to
the Duluth Candy Co. logo. M—N Associates worked
joyful pet-tail ink traps into their logo for Vietnamese
pet food company PetChoy. Bodily Clothing gets a
tuck and taper from ink traps in a logotype by Mother
Design. The Avu Font, designed by Heavyweight
Digital Type Foundry for the Academy of Fine Arts in
Prague, lovingly pokes fun at the concept of ink traps,
introducing hearts at every turn.

Sinéad O’Dwyer. Bodily.

Agency/designer: Greenspace. Agency/designer: Mother Design.

Duluth Candy Co. PetChoy.

Agency/designer: Studio MPLS. Agency/designer: M—N Associates.

Morrow Digital. Avu Font (for Academy of Fine Arts

Agency/designer: (in house). in Prague).

Type Trends 2022. | It’s a Trap! 56

Certified
Gold.
Certified Gold (silver and platinum) are similar to Throw-
Up letters but have an added layer of shine and metal that
brings volume and material quality back into the equation
and transforms type into precious metals.

Type Trends 2022. | Certified Gold. 57

Combine balloon and Throw-Up letters and add a layer
of three-dimensionality. Cool! But why stop there?
Chrome plate it! Gold plate it! Make it platinum! In a
digital world, adding plated shine says, “deluxe!” There’s
something very seductive, even beguiling about wobbly,
bold, and expansive letter shapes. Ogilvy and Mather
Hong Kong’s posters for a new creative workspace for
WPP, one of the world’s largest global agency networks,
feature custom Certified Gold type that playfully
reinterprets traditional Chinese characters.

Space to Create.
Agency/designer: Ogilvy Hong Kong.

Type Trends 2022. | Certified Gold. 58

Certified Gold brings depth and volume to what are a connection to the world’s patient, painstaking artisan
often flat letterforms. This trend speaks to our love craft. COLLINS’ work on League of Legends sets that
of making things by hand, stretching, twisting, and stage, with letters that open a window into the game
League of Legends.
forging the elements into words. There’s a rawness and and the characters within that world. Agency/designer: COL-

Type Trends 2022. | Certified Gold. 59

&Walsh creative agency, founded in New York by built from 50 shimmering ampersands designs, a set
Jessica Walsh in 2019, may or may not have been the that expands with every client project and alludes to
instigator of this trend. Either way, as type obsessives, the client and agency partnership. Rich storytelling and
we adore it. Fully platinized in pure calligraphic and incredible typography. Metal is in and is seeping into
illegible delight, while this lettering may not be legible, the ether. &Walsh.
we think it’s interesting nonetheless! The identity was Agency/designer: &Walsh.

Type Trends 2022. | Certified Gold. 60

NF-Type.
NFTs and now NF-Type, are a thing. NFT’s are creating a
murmur, a mumble, a warble about opportunity and how we
might innovate the way fonts are licensed and distributed in
a decentralized marketplace.

Type Trends 2022. | NF-Type. 61

Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past year (no NFTYPE (nftype.art) is an artwork by NFTXYZ that sells,
shame, we get it), you’ve probably asked yourself, “What well, NFTs. Their Numbers Collection is numbers (0–99)—
the heck is an NFT?” at some point. We’ve been asking set in Monotype’s very own Helvetica Now typeface.
ourselves what NFTs could mean for typography, and we
imagine studios around the world are doing the same. NFT buyers are purchasing digital rights to artwork, but
type designers and foundries won’t benefit until a font-
NFTs are the elephant in our trends room. Or maybe licensing system is built into NFT marketplaces. There
they’re the whale in the room? In 2021, a 12-year-old are technoids among us though, who may help lead the
boy made £290K selling pixelated images of weird way forward. We’ve already seen designers discussing
whales during his school holiday. If a child can monetize exclusive NFT font launches on social media. Something
low-quality cartoons, imagine the opportunity that exists to watch out for in the coming months.
for all the type in the world.

Weird Whales.
Agence/designer: Obiwanbenobi via OpenSea.

NFTYPE.
Agence/designer: NFTXYZ.

Type Trends 2022. | NF-Type. 62

In a similar vein, a new initiative called Font.Community
has appeared. It’s a collection of designers, users,
buyers, and speculators formed around a decentralized
marketplace for fonts powered by Ethereum blockchain.
Within it, fonts exist as tokens, and designers can sell
full rights, issue shares, borrow money, earn interest, or
even raise funds for their next font.

Our biggest concern with crypto and, subsequently

NFTs, is environmental. The process of minting, bidding,
and selling an NFT carries a huge carbon footprint.
A single Bitcoin transaction is estimated to burn
3000-kilowatt hours of electricity, enough to power
a typical US household for over 78 days.

While there are clear environmental considerations and

it’s still a nascent space, the crossover between NFTs
and fonts feels imminent. NFTs are creating a murmur, a
mumble, a warble about opportunity and how we might
innovate the way fonts are licensed
Brikfont.
and distributed. Agency/designer: Craig Ward.

Font DOT Community.

Type Trends 2022. | NF-Type. 63

Fuel tomorrow.
So, let’s recap on our type trending futures. Trends feed
trends. Where you’re at tomorrow will be a reflection
of where you are today. Seek good graphic and type
design fuel. Digest it efficiently, draw conclusions, and
use that energy to seek new expressions to power new
voices, new brands, and a more interesting world.

So, let’s recap on our type trending Hopefully, this report has illuminated the wondrous
variety living on the bleeding edge. There is a rich,

futures. Trends feed trends. thriving world of type out there that rewards the curious
seeker with inventive, memorable, even mind-expanding
designs.

The clever pivot is recognizing what’s trending and then

taking a leap of faith three steps forward. And then
maybe two to the right. Choose the type that surprises
you. Find the sweet spot that straddles category expec-
tations and delights your customers. That’s where the
gold lives.

With that, here’s to type trends 2023!

—Phil Garnham, Charles Nix, and your friends in

The Monotype Studio.

Type Trends 2022. 64

Monotype. monotype.com/type-trends