A couple of old typefaces get new versions.

This week I released a couple of new display typefaces based on some of my older designs: SbB Power Grid and SbB Intermodal Stencil. These designs have been available before in different forms, but these new versions are significantly refined and expanded. Both SbB Power Grid and SbB Intermodal Stencil are available for purchase at MyFonts.

SbB Power Grid

SbB Power Grid is a bold display typeface with an industrial feel. The family has four styles — Regular, Inline, Stencil and Rounded and corresponding italics. This is actually the third version of Power Grid. I spent time refining the look and feel of the design and I’m really happy with where it landed. The Stencil and Inline versions in particular would work well in athletic or industrial branding.

SbB Power Grid is available as a family for $19 at MyFonts. Individual fonts are $9 each.

SbB Intermodal Stencil

SbB Intermodal Stencil is my futuristic, sci-fi stencil system. I’ve written about Intermodal Stencil and my experiments with variable type. I’m happy to finally release a new version. I’ve refined the letterforms, added a couple of alternates and two italic angles. The variable version includes three axes — width, slant and stencil opening. The stencil opening serves as a type of optical correction. At smaller sizes, the larger stencil cuts work better.

What’s the deal with multiple italic* angles? When you are designing a typeface that intended to be used in large blocks of text, the designer needs to pick one consistent italic angle. But when you are talking about a display typeface, an italic angle is just an aesthetic choice. So I’ve decided to provide multiple angles for Intermodal. Intermodal features 5 degree and 10 degree obliques. If you use the variable font, you can pick any italic slant between 0 and 15 degrees.

SbB Intermodal Stencil is available as a family for $19 at MyFonts. Individual fonts are $9 each.

30% off for a limited time

To celebrate my new typeface releases, SbB Power Grid, SbB Intermodal Stencil and SbB Powertrain (which I released last year) are all 30% off at MyFonts through January 1, 2022. Individual fonts start at $6.30 and typeface families start at $13.30.

* Also, these are really obliques, not italics. An italic is typically drawn in a different style, while an oblique is a slanted version of the upright Roman. But most people and designers just call all slanted text “italics” so I decided it was time to abandon that particular linguistic fight.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, University of South Carolina Ph.D. student, mass comm researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create. Bob occasionally and begrudgingly posts to Twitter and Instagram. He wears a mask and got vaccinated to protect his community. #TeamModerna