<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Artifact]]></title><description><![CDATA[A design publication focused on craft]]></description><link>https://www.readartifact.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mO2J!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a7c6453-fbbe-4ffc-88b2-dc67788a2f7a_1280x1280.png</url><title>Artifact</title><link>https://www.readartifact.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:06:12 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.readartifact.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Fons Mans]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[fonsmans@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[fonsmans@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Fons Mans]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Fons Mans]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[fonsmans@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[fonsmans@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Fons Mans]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Why we created a custom typeface for Offgrid]]></title><description><![CDATA[The story behind Offgrid Sans, our custom studio typeface &#8212; and why every designer should consider making one.]]></description><link>https://www.readartifact.com/p/why-we-created-a-custom-typeface</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.readartifact.com/p/why-we-created-a-custom-typeface</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Fons Mans]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 01 Nov 2025 11:07:52 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c9OR!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Feb9e0645-1fc6-4056-b199-d4a9610e3981_3000x1500.heic" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c9OR!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Feb9e0645-1fc6-4056-b199-d4a9610e3981_3000x1500.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" 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class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>In the past few months, I&#8217;ve been working on something different: a custom typeface for my design studio, <a href="http://Offgrid.inc">Offgrid</a>. It&#8217;s called Offgrid Sans, and today I&#8217;m sharing the story behind it &#8212; why we made it, what I learned in the process, and a free download of the full type family for paid subscribers.</strong></p><div><hr></div><h3>Why we made it</h3><p>When I started building the Offgrid brand, I wanted the logo to be as simple as possible. Just the wordmark. But if your logo is that minimal, every detail matters.</p><p>Typography carries enormous weight in branding. It shapes how a company feels before you even read a word. So instead of picking a font from a marketplace, I decided to create a custom one &#8212; something that would reflect the studio&#8217;s design philosophy: precise, minimal, opinionated.</p><p>I teamed up with type designer Nicol&#225;s Massi, and together we created Offgrid Sans. We started from <a href="https://rsms.me/inter/">Inter by Rasmus Andersson</a>, a beautifully open-source foundation that&#8217;s already optimized for digital use. From there, we made targeted changes:</p>
      <p>
          <a href="https://www.readartifact.com/p/why-we-created-a-custom-typeface">
              Read more
          </a>
      </p>
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