Type Kit 2026

Notes from my font suitcase

Every designer has a suitcase.

Not the one that goes in the overhead bin—the one full of typefaces that travel from project to project with you. Some are old companions that have proven themselves over decades. Others are fresh discoveries that capture the spirit of the moment.

Typography trends come and go, but what’s interesting right now in 2026 is how two opposing forces are shaping design at the same time:

• nostalgia for the expressive typography of the 80s and 90s
• a renewed appreciation for timeless editorial typography

The result is a strange but beautiful mix: brutal cuts, loud personality, and then suddenly the calm authority of a classic serif.

These are the 10 typefaces currently living in my suitcase.

1. Awesome

There’s something about those aggressive cuts and the unapologetic attitude that feels ripped straight out of the 90s.

It reminds me of the era when typography wasn’t polite. It shouted. It fractured. It bent rules.

The spirit of that time—David Carson layouts, MTV graphics, skate culture typography—still echoes today. Fonts like Awesome carry that DNA forward. Imperfect, expressive, and a little rebellious.

Sometimes design needs refinement.
Sometimes it needs distortion.

Awesome is the latter.

2. Hamptons (My Own Typeface)

Every designer eventually reaches the point where they stop searching for the perfect font and start drawing it.

For me, that’s Hamptons.

It’s the typeface I use exclusively when I want something that feels like my own voice rather than someone else’s vocabulary. When you create your own typeface, you’re essentially designing the tone of everything you say visually.

Hamptons has become my personal signature.

3. Canela

If there’s one modern serif that feels both classical and contemporary, it’s Canela.

Designed by Miguel Reyes and released by Commercial Type, the typeface lives in a strange and beautiful space between serif and sans serif. The letters retain only subtle flaring at the ends of strokes rather than traditional serifs, giving them an inscriptional quality reminiscent of carved stone lettering.

It originally began as an interpretation of Caslon, but evolved into something entirely its own—quiet, confident, and architectural.

Right now I’m using Canela heavily while building a home service directory. It brings a level of editorial elegance that elevates what would otherwise be purely functional content.

Directories are usually designed like spreadsheets.
Canela lets them feel like magazines.

4. Helvetica

Some designers try to escape Helvetica.

I never do.

Helvetica is the typographic equivalent of a perfectly sharpened pencil. Neutral, balanced, and endlessly reliable. When the design needs to disappear and let the content speak, Helvetica is still the best tool in the drawer.

You can chase trends for years and eventually come back to it.

5. Garamond

If Helvetica is the pencil, Garamond is the fountain pen.

Elegant, historical, and incredibly readable, it traces its lineage back to the work of Claude Garamond in the 16th century.

Whenever a project needs literary weight or editorial authority, Garamond still delivers it effortlessly.

6. Druk

Druk represents the modern appetite for compressed power typography.

It’s loud, tall, and unapologetically graphic. Perfect for headlines that need to punch through noise.

You see this style everywhere—from streetwear brands to magazine covers—and it works because it feels urgent.

7. GT America

Some fonts feel like a bridge between eras.

GT America blends the rational clarity of Swiss grotesks with the personality of American grotesque signage. It’s versatile enough to work across digital interfaces, editorial layouts, and branding systems.

That flexibility makes it a workhorse.

8. Editorial New

This typeface captures something I love about modern editorial design: luxury minimalism.

High contrast. Elegant curves. Generous spacing.

It feels like a fashion magazine even when it isn’t.

9. Akzidenz Grotesk

Before Helvetica, there was Akzidenz Grotesk.

It’s rougher around the edges, less polished, but full of character. Many designers still prefer it because it feels more human and less engineered.

Sometimes that imperfection is exactly what you want.

10. Palo Santo

Palo Santo has a warmth that many contemporary typefaces lack. It feels modern, but not sterile. The shapes carry a subtle softness that makes it inviting rather than mechanical.

It’s the kind of typeface that works beautifully in branding and editorial spaces where personality matters just as much as clarity.