One for all seasons: Displaay’s new typeface is a boundary-shifting sans to serif collection

Czech Republic-based type foundry Displaay is launching its new typeface: Season. An exploration of the evolution and movement between serif and sans serif, the typeface mirrors the seamless changing of seasons we experience year after year. But that’s not all. As it’s built as a variable font, users can also experience and capitalise on the subtle changes in its dynamic sans-to-serif collection.

Established in Prague in 2014, Displaay has focused its work on recognising retail and custom typefaces that are often missing in the market – and then filling that gap. As Season is inspired by the “designer’s everlasting challenge of choosing and combining sans-serif and serif typefaces”, Martin Vácha, type designer and founder of the foundry says, it offers an alternative to the often rigid and uniform typographic landscape. With a “unified construction” for both worlds, the collection consists of three families: Season Sans, Season Serif, and Season Mix (the inbetween), with each family offering six weights and 12 styles.

“Since the introduction of the variable font format in 2016, I’ve been thinking about what else, beyond weight, contrast, or width, could be useful to control,” says Martin. “I found the idea of merging the two most widely used type categories into a single file with a shared construction especially tempting,” he adds.

Reflecting on the design process for the intermediate state between the modernity and simplicity of sans serif and the traditional aspects of serif, Martin admits it “took some time to embrace”. He says: “I was never a fan of subtle flares, like those in Optima, or the overall ‘glyphic serif’ category”, which made the journey toward crafting this elegant in-between more challenging. However, over time, he carved a path to the elegant version we see today, distinguished by serifs that gradually emerge from the stems, increasing in contrast as the transition from sans serif to serif unfolds. “The design is a real reflection of my roots and principles in type design,” Martin shares, which is evident in the calligraphy terminals, features reminiscent of his earlier typeface Reckless and slightly open terminals and overall vibe for sans taking foundation in Matter.

All in all, Season is more than just a versatile typeface collection enabling designers to work across a myriad of project styles. It empowers designers to incorporate these differing styles into a single design, creating something that is dynamic and layered. It is truly a typeface for all weathers – and all seasons.