Inspired by the patterns of this traditional wirework, Agathe created the first version of Hardanger “which only had capital letters and numbers and didn’t really have a name or identity yet,” she says. Two years later, the designer took her letterforms back to the drawing board with the intention of creating a clearer visual connection between her use of technology and the traditional craft.

Agathe landed on a new design system where each character is based on a 7-pixel grid, drawing a direct parallel between Hardanger’s clear positive and negative ‘Kloster’ stitched blocks and digital pixel patterns. “The limitations of the block led me to find a compromise between legibility and aesthetics,” the designer explains. “I wanted the letters to be understandable, but still exist in the maximalist world of embroidery.”

Agathe wanted the entire typeset to feel like “a large piece of embroidery: a distinctly decorative element” for any design project, especially when viewed as a display typeface for titles, running text, or overlays used in an experimental way. With three alternate versions of the typeface that carefully transform pixels into patterns derived from the embroidery technique, she has now created a print typeface. This will showcase the more delicate details of the typefaces, as well as the work of fellow designers showcasing the typeface in use. After Hardanger’s completion, Agathe is keeping things historical; she’s currently working on a monospace typeface inspired by the first industrial revolution, so stay tuned.