Last week Marina dropped a question into our studio Slack asking for new foundry recs, and within an hour Donna, Sam, Jaz, and Amber had emptied their bookmark folders into the thread. It felt rude to keep it all to ourselves. Here are 8 we actually use in client work – a mix of the heavy hitters we come back to every brief, and a few quieter ones worth adding to the rotation.
1. OH no Type Co.
James Edmondson's playground
OH no has personality in a way most foundries don't even attempt. Obviously and Vulf Mono are everywhere for a reason, but it's worth digging past them into the newer drops. If a brief says "unexpected but considered," this is usually our first stop.
2. Klim Type Foundry
Quiet obsession from Wellington
Kris Sowersby's team makes type the way other people make watches. Söhne, Founders Grotesk, Tiempos – you've seen them a thousand times because they just work. Klim is what we reach for when the brief is "sophisticated, and should still look good in five years."
3. Dinamo
The one behind half your favorite rebrands
ABC Monument Grotesk is the Helvetica of the 2020s and we're not mad about it. What we love about Dinamo is how generously they share process: specimens, essays, variable font demos, even code experiments. Using their type feels like joining a club that cares a lot.
4. Displaay
Display-first, with real range
Donna's current obsession, and after one project with them we get it. Displaay leans toward the expressive end of the spectrum – bold contrasts, sharp personality – but their text families hold up as workhorses too. Great for brands that need attitude without going full novelty.
5. Commercial Type
Editorial bones, decades deep
If you're doing anything editorial, news-shaped, or even mildly serious, Commercial Type earns its name. Publico and Graphik alone have carried entire redesigns. Their library is deep enough that you can usually find a family that solves a brief without reaching for a custom cut.
6. Pangram Pangram
Generous trials, hard to forget
The free trial fonts are good enough that you'll end up buying the license anyway. Neue Machina and PP Editorial New have landed in more of our moodboards than we want to admit. Bonus: pricing is actually reasonable for studios our size.
7. Schick Toikka
Under-the-radar, unmistakably theirs
A Berlin–Helsinki duo making quietly excellent type with a very specific point of view. Not as widely spotted as Klim or Dinamo yet, which is half the appeal. If you want a brand to feel considered and a little left of center, start here.
8. Uncut.wtf
Free, filtered, surprisingly good
Yes, it's a free fonts site. No, it's not the same as the usual free-fonts spiral. Uncut curates aggressively and hosts work from actual designers – great for personal projects, zines, or early-stage brand explorations before you've earned a type budget.
