‘Sociotype’ Releases Issue #1: The Gesture, A Beautiful Type Specimen

Posted inTypography

Based in London, Sociotype is a type foundry with design at the forefront of it all. Not only does the studio design develop retail and custom fonts for both print and digital media, but the foundry has also recently released a new platform for thoughts on culture and society (and in print, no less).

The catch is that the platform, aptly dubbed Sociotype Journal, is also a type specimen. So, for the first issue, Sociotype based the journal entirely around Gestura, a serif superfamily designed in-house. 

The pages within the journal are bold, bright, and, of course, centered around beautiful typography. Because the typeface is dubbed “Gestura,” the central theme in this issue surrounds the word “gesture” and thinking about how our hands can speak for us when our words fail us. 

The first issue highlights a range of artistic disciplines, including ten essays, seven image-based articles, and a twenty-eight-page technical type specimen. And not only do the pages inspire you to push the way you previously thought about typography, especially serif type, but it will expand your mind to think about how broadly “gestures” can be imagined. 

Additionally, ten percent of the profits from the issue will get donated to The Black Curriculum, a social enterprise dedicated to addressing the lack of Black British history in the UK Curriculum. To say this is a journal that inspires would be an understatement.