Aglet Slab is part of a powerful trio of typefaces that XYZ Type launched with last year. Along with Export and Cortado, Aglet Slab hints at what we can expect from the partnership of Ben Kiel and Jesse Ragan.
Aglet is one of those faces that grows on you over time. At first, it grabs your attention in a casual way — but once you really get to work with it, its personality shines through and you find yourself admiring all of its details. The alternating angles and levels of roundness work like a charm. Not only do they give the forms an active and friendly feel, but they also make the words simply move and take your eyes along with them.
It is a versatile typeface that includes sets of figures, numerals, and highly useful alternates, but one of the features that gets to my heart is that the lovely set of symbols is also designed to match each weight. That makes it easy to combine them with the letterforms in a cohesive way.
Unconsciously hypnotized by Aglet Slab, out of curiosity I tested it in a project for which I had initially wanted to choose a Humanist sans. To my surprise, it made sense right away. I got very excited about this match, and the client was also sold immediately.
Someone recently asked me if rounded typefaces were still in fashion. It’s hard not to think of them as being very current when looking at Aglet Slab in all its glory. Hey Jesse, I’m looking forward to some new family members!
