Elza Condensed
Blackletra · Daniel Sabino · 2021
A condensed neo-grotesque by Daniel Sabino that takes Helvetica and Univers as its direct references and pushes their mechanised logic further with subtly straight-sided round letterforms.
About
Sixteen styles span eight weights from Thin to Black, each with an oblique companion, across a single condensed width. Round letters carry small straight segments on their sides to maximise consistency between weights and to produce a squarish, almost mechanical regularity that the designer describes as more neutral than Helvetica itself. The family supports approximately 900 glyphs per font, includes small caps, old-style figures and a variable version with weight, width and slant axes.
Classification
Explicitly modelled on Helvetica and Univers, the two canonical neo-grotesques, with mechanised square curves and an absence of humanist detailing. Obliques rather than true italics reinforce the systematic, rational character.