LL Replica
Lineto · NORM (Dimitri Bruni, Manuel Krebs) · 2008
A Zurich-built sans-serif by NORM, constructed on a deliberately coarse 70-unit grid that imprints bevelled corners and clipped diagonals onto every glyph.
About
Designed by Dimitri Bruni and Manuel Krebs of NORM and released by Lineto in 2008, the typeface emerged from a self-imposed constraint: reducing the standard 700-unit cap height to just 70 units, forcing all nodes and Bézier points onto a coarse grid. The bevelled inner and outer corners act as negative ink traps, and the vertical cuts on diagonals allow very tight setting, particularly in heavier weights. A monospaced cut in the regular weight was released separately, and the family runs across four weights with matching italics.
Classification
Classified by Lineto as a bold sans-serif of Middle-European descent; its strict grid construction and bevelled corners give it a geometric rigour distinct from humanist or grotesque traditions.