Hawleya Typeface Family Designed by Diego Steiner Ibanez

February 02, 2026Spotlight 2026 Arts & Culture Type Design Type Design Typography Switzerland

Hawleya Text and Hawleya Text Italic are contemporary revivals of Ionic No°5, originally designed by Chauncey Hawley Griffith and released by Mergenthaler Linotype in 1925 as part of the Legibility Group. The project revisits the typeface through close formal examination, focusing on its structural characteristics rather than treating it as a fixed historical artifact.

Diego Steiner Ibanez approaches the revival by examining the tension between contrasting elements within the original design: long slab serifs set against curved forms, and rectangular construction balanced with softer modulation. Rather than resolving these oppositions, the type family explores how far they can coexist while remaining usable in extended text settings. The result is a restrained text typeface that emphasizes consistency, balance, and functional clarity, positioning revival as an act of interpretation shaped by contemporary typographic practice.

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