Fontstand

While walking around New York City one day, Jesse Ragan happened upon a string of unconventional letters bluntly printed on the side of a cardboard shipping box from a hand-carved flexo plate. The letters’ original creator is unknown, but Jesse decided to pay homage to the unpretentious forms via an all-caps typeface, in Regular and Stencil versions, that preserves the brawn and bite of its analog inspiration.

A system of bulges and pinches underlies Export’s irreverent internal logic. Rough edges lend a soft finish to the face’s blocky heft. Eccentric shapes command attention when isolated, but an industrial rhythm takes hold in chunks of text.

Export Stencil turns the playful concept of the original on its side, with a network of breaks that are at once pragmatic and illogical. Although a collection of shipping caution symbols are enclosed, this is one durable package.

Designed by Jesse Ragan. Desmond Wong provided production assistance.