Kestrel & Co.
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Type Design Print Type Scale Variable Fonts 2025 • v1.0 1 min read

Sable — A text face for long reading

A commissioned text face for a publisher who prints on uncoated stock and refuses to compromise on it.

sable.type — live online
Sable — project preview

Overview

Drawn for ink spread.

Every candidate face closed up in the counters once it hit their paper. We drew against printed proofs from week one, never against the screen. Three imprints adopted it, and the reprints stopped needing a weight bump.

Problem

Every candidate face closed up in the counters once it hit their paper.

Approach

We drew against printed proofs from week one, never against the screen.

Outcome

Three imprints adopted it, and the reprints stopped needing a weight bump.

A commissioned text face for a publisher who prints on uncoated stock and refuses to compromise on it.

Every candidate face closed up in the counters once it hit their paper. We drew against printed proofs from week one, never against the screen.

Three imprints adopted it, and the reprints stopped needing a weight bump.

Screenshots

3 screenshots
/kestrel-sable-shot-1.png • 1560×640
Sable, screenshot 1 of 3
Type scale across the full range
/kestrel-sable-shot-2.png • 760×512
Sable, screenshot 2 of 3
Applied to the primary surface
/kestrel-sable-shot-3.png • 760×512
Sable, screenshot 3 of 3
Detail at production size

40 windows • Type Design • Sable — A text face for long reading