[ ← All work ] Case study No. 02 Type · 2026

Surendra

A digital typeface drawn from historical wood and metal type, shown in a specimen poster. Every heading on this site is set in it.

Role: Typeface design, graphic design
Deliverables: Typeface, glyph set, specimen poster

01 — The storySurendra

The brief

Reinterpret old wood and metal type specimens as a new digital typeface, instead of just copying an archival one.

The idea

I drew the glyph set from those references, then worked through spacing, kerning and consistency across every character.

The result

A working display face and a specimen poster that shows off its forms. It is also the voice of this whole site.

02 — ResearchSurendra

Starting from old type.

I collected wood and metal type specimens and studied what made their letters feel so physical: uneven weight, soft corners, and the way ink spreads at the edges. The goal was to borrow that character without copying any one archival face.

Research and references for Surendra. — Fig. 01 — Specimen references.

03 — SketchesSurendra

Drawing the glyph set.

I sketched the letterforms by hand first, then rebuilt them digitally. From there it was spacing, kerning and consistency, checking that every character belonged to the same family.

Hand sketches and digital iterations for Surendra glyphs. — Fig. 02 — Glyph sketches.

04 — Type anatomySurendra

The parts of the letters.

Surendra type anatomy diagram 1. — Fig. 03

Surendra type anatomy diagram 2. — Fig. 04

Surendra type anatomy diagram 3. — Fig. 05

Surendra type anatomy diagram 4. — Fig. 06

05 — FinalSurendra

Surendra typeface specimen poster mockup.

Fig. 07 — The specimen poster.

06 — In useSurendra

Starting from old type.

Drawing the glyph set.

The parts of the letters.

Hiring a design intern?