Readymag Design Almanac: Typography

The pairing of Sauber Script and Aktiv Grotesk stands on the principle of contrast: the fonts are entirely distinct from each other. Aktiv Grotesk is sleek and versatile, modern and utilitarian, it takes an authoritative but neutral position, lending your message just the right impact. Sauber Script is the complete opposite: a sweet ice-cream font, active and friendly. That being said, they both have very clean silhouettes. Together, Sauber and Aktiv Grotesk reinforce and emphasize each other's features.

1. Proportions

Sauber (German for ‘clean’) is designed to be used at large sizes and in headlines, where details are clearly visible. It has very compact proportions, with no outrageous ascenders and descenders that might clash otherwise. This also allows the font to be used effectively inside of boxes and buttons.

Aktiv Grotesk was designed for modern communication channels, from billboards to mobile devices. Eleni Beveratou, the Creative Director of Dalton Maag studio (where the font was designed) explains: “We paid particular attention to how Latin proportions fit well with other writing systems that we have developed, for example, in Arabic and Hebrew, making sure that they work in harmony when used together. This is especially true for writing systems that don't have uppercase and lowercase letters.”

“The pair will live in harmony when Sauber Script is used as the display font and Aktiv Grotesk for body copy. When paired up in the same size, they will also weave together successfully: the geometry of Aktiv Grotesk acting as a frame, a lattice around which Sauber can curl. In this case, it will play the role of icing or whipped cream—the substance that turns an ordinary crust into a cake, ” Readymag designer Tanya Egoshina summarizes.

2. Details

Sauber is a brush script; clear and bold, but also soft and calm. “Like any script, this font is about humanity and craftsmanship—and about order at the same time. Sauber contrasts with other scripts thanks to its flexibility, abundance of uses, wide language support and even built-in underscores. It has a lot of glyphs (including some that you wouldn’t expect to see in a script), many ligatures and even swashes (look for them in the Glyphs panel). In a nutshell, it has everything to help you make your text indistinguishable from a real inscription. Sauber is a friendly script, and this genre is timeless. Human, but neat; contemporary, but a little bit retro. This style will remain in demand for a long time,” explains Ilya Ruderman, the creator of the font’s Cyrillic version.

Aktiv Grotesk lies at the intersection of many classic grotesque designs, combining qualities into a unified and coherent expression, and functionality. “This typeface is truly modernist — it was conceptualized with expansion into a myriad styles and languages in mind, to help you build a true type system. It has clear lines and no frills, but subtle design features lend it a personality outside the known genres,” explains Bruno Maag, the Chairman of Dalton Maag studio.