Sixten
NM Type · Noel Pretorius & María Ramos · 2023
A variable Latin typeface drawn from a child's pre-instructed letterforms, yielding shapes with runic and punk overtones across three width axes.
About
Designed by Noel Pretorius and María Ramos at NM Type, Sixten takes its cues from the pre-taught handwriting of a four-year-old, tracing unexpected connections between instinctive mark-making and early Phoenician and Greek letter shapes. The family spans fifteen static fonts across Narrow, Standard and Wide widths, each in five weights from Regular to Black, plus a variable font that shifts both width and weight axes simultaneously. Twelve stylistic sets enable dynamic combinations including mirror writing, flying small caps and flag caps, giving designers extensive scope to work against typographic convention.
Classification
Though it has Latin letterforms, Sixten's defining character comes from its deliberately unconventional, child-inspired skeleton and runic undertones, placing it firmly in the display/expressive category rather than conventional sans-serif.