Fable's Font Of The Week: Gridnik

Gridnik, a typeface crafted with a passion & devotion to grids & systems.

In our last muse post ‘In The Studio With Matt Jones’, Matt discussed with us his greatest influences in design; one of which is the pioneering & influential designer Wim Crouwel.

This week, Fable took a closer look into one of Crouwels greatest design achievements; the design of the ’Gridnik’ typeface.

 

Gridnik’s creation dates back to 1974, when Crouwel was approached by typewriter manufacturer Olivetti to design a brand new typeface for their new electric typewriters. The result; a beautifully structured, grid influenced, sans serif monoline typeface.

Crouwel was affectionately known as ‘Mr. Gridnik’ for his devotion to grids & systems. He once said “I loved grids so much it verged on the neurotic.”

We love the typeface’s geometric structure & strict mathematical letter formation – crafted using a square grid & 45-degree corners. Crouwel explained, it was “a way of finding an all-encompassing & underlying structure for my work.”

Gridnik feels strong, confident & highly technical. With its abundant angles, it possess a rigid & stern character, bringing a fresh alternative to the ‘typical’ typewriter font we are use to seeing.

 

Unfortunately for Crouwel, as the interest for electric typewriters declined, his beautiful new typeface was not needed anymore. Luckily for us, Gridnik was digitalised from his original drawings so it can be used for generations to come.