Ebano
CAST · Stefano Barel · 2022
An extended grotesque sans built from short straight segments to replicate the rough chisel-marks of hand-carved wood and lino type, drawing direct lineage from Koch's Neuland and Preissig's linocut lettering.
About
Designed by Stefano Barel during a course at CFP Bauer in Milan, Ebano uses polygonal approximations of curves rather than true arcs, so the 'O' reads more as a dodecagon than a circle at display sizes. The extended proportions recall sanserifs in the tradition of Frutiger's Univers, while the deliberate imperfections, slight tapering on straight strokes and irregular outlines, reproduce the physical action of a woodcutter's chisel. A single Regular weight makes it a focused display choice for titles, posters and logotypes rather than a workhorse text family.
Classification
An extended grotesque sans whose letterforms are built from short straight segments mimicking woodcut and linocut carving, placing it firmly in the display category despite a grotesque structural foundation with two-storey 'a' and 'g'.