When a design includes images and text blocks, we can apply ratios to create a sense of harmony and geometry, producing an overall effect that our brains recognise as "right." This principle extends across design fields, from graphic design to the human body, cars, and even trees. Natural ratios—or, put simply, maths—often translate as beauty.
Typography, however, is a different story. Applying the same ratio or symmetry to every character makes words appear uneven and unnatural. Typography relies on a complex interplay of multiple ratios, balancing the space within characters with the surrounding negative space, to create visual harmony across an entire typeface. Each word, paragraph, and text block becomes its own unique "picture."
The life of a typographer is often described as "madness" due to the demand for perfectionism in every tiny detail. But what is perfectionism? It’s about balancing countless spaces and character relationships to form a coherent font. And while the pursuit of balance may be painstaking, it’s ultimately worthwhile, as we can read the results without tiring our eyes.
Consider how a perfectly symmetrical face in a mirror feels unsettling, almost unnatural—it’s the same with letterforms. The process of creating typefaces aligns more with intuition than rigid structures, striving to reflect our sense of what feels right.
Building a Character
When we travel, we capture pictures of signs and logos, collecting inspirations from books and other sources. It might seem a bit geeky, but we see it as art. Old European signage is especially inspiring; simplicity is key when it comes to type. As a well-known designer once said, "A font that says ‘dog’ doesn’t need to bark." This concept rings true with wordmarks, where the type’s "character" speaks for itself.
Recently, we created the brand identity for Rigatoni’s, a Southern Italian restaurant group based in North West England. Having worked with their team for years, we didn’t need an extensive technical research project. Instead, we turned to our archive of Italian logotypes and signage for inspiration, searching for styles that would feel at home in Northern England. Regional and cultural context can profoundly shape brand perception, and we wanted an identity that felt authentic to both Italy and the UK.
The resulting logotype isn’t just a typeface; it embodies a modern Italian spirit—warm, bold, and hearty, like a satisfying meal. Below are images from our research and the development of the final logotype. Learn more about the Rigatoni's Project here.
