From the mind of new Pangram Pangram collaborator, Maksym Kobuzan, Neue Corp is destined to become a staple in any creative’s toolkit – embodying meticulous craftsmanship and versatility. Bridging the eccentric charm of old wood type with the sleek precision of neo-grotesques, Neue Corp brings together an eclectic mix of influences to create something altogether fresh and freeing.

Contextual in nature, Neue Corp takes inspiration from iconic typefaces but reimagines them within a contemporary typographic landscape, with its Black and Condensed styles channelling the classic aesthetic of Hamilton Mfg. Co. typefaces, while the wider Bolds are reminiscent of Helvetica Extended. Meanwhile, the Regular styles borrow from Univers, softening some details to bring a friendlier, warm tone to the mix. This interplay of elements culminates in a type family that feels both familiar and brand new, balancing character with neutrality in a way that makes it suitable for almost any design application.

Not to go on, but the flexibility doesn’t stop there. With alternate stylistic sets,Neue Corp can shift its tone even further, with some sets leaning into clean, geometric forms while the others add bold spurs for a punchy, grotesque personality. At the end of the day, it’s a typeface that fosters experimentation, letting creatives dial-up or tone down the character as needed. And, with 80 styles across eight families, it offers a spectrum from modest Thin to vital Black weights, and from narrow Compressed to expansive Extended, complete with Cyrillic support and 1,049 glyphs per style.

Getting into the nitty-gritty, we delve into the creative journey behind Neue Corp with Maksym, exploring the inspirations, challenges, and aspirations that shaped this striking new addition to Pangram Pangram’s catalogue.

Hey Maksym, how’re you?

Hi, nice to meet you. I’m doing relatively well; right now, there’s an air raid alarm in Kyiv, so things could definitely be better. Here’s an interesting fact about Neue Corp right from the start: no less than a third of the entire typeface was made in the hallway, bathroom, or bomb shelter with a laptop in hand. Pretty much the same way I’m answering your questions right now. :)

What’s your journey into type design? Did you always want to get into the field?

I didn’t always want to design typefaces. I just wasn’t always aware of their existence, haha. Somewhere in the middle of my studies at the academy, I started to enjoy designing letters. So I gradually began to learn it on my own, since there isn’t really any formal type design education here. I used everything I could: books, manuals, and copying classic specimens. Sometimes, I sought advice from different type designers. But I really started working on typefaces full-time around 2021. From there, I slowly started collaborating with various foundries and marketplaces. Just recently, I released a typeface with Blaze Type.

Tell us about the origins of Neue Corp! With so many typefaces out there, where did the idea for Neue Corp come from? Was there a gap you were looking to fill?

I was inspired by well-known brands and wanted to create something ultimate and universal that would match those brands. From the very start of my work on typefaces, I always had the idea to try and create a massive type family with a maximum and logical range of weights and widths, so designers would have plenty of options. I also wanted to see the typeface used in Ukraine, in my hometown, so it had to support Cyrillic.

Honestly, I think it was also a challenge for me. I had attempted to make a similar typeface a few years ago, but… nothing came of it. So I scaled the typeface down and released it. However, with each passing year, I saw more and more issues with it. So a few years later, I decided it was time to do what I had originally planned, but in full.

You’ve blended some interesting influences here – combining elements of old wood type with the precision of neo-grotesques – how did you go about weaving these different influences together into a cohesive design?

Essentially, it was an attempt to merge two extremes, find a balance, and choose the best elements. Initially, I roughly outlined which expressive features would suit Neue Corp.

You’ve cited classic Hamilton Mfg. Co. typefaces and Helvetica Extended as influences for the Black and Bold styles. What drew you to these particular references, and how did they shape Neue Corp?

I needed a reference point, so I looked at classic examples. Even though this typeface was intended to be the ultimate workhorse, the goal was still not to make it completely bland or neutral. So I picked what best suited my task and vision. Take wood type, for example. They have incredible black styles. With some added thickness, they were a perfect fit for my radical black style, with its minimal counter forms. And Helvetica Extended had an excellent combination of contrast and spacing between letters.

There’s a certain duality in Neue Corp’s stylistic sets. How did you approach designing alternate sets that toggle between geometric and grotesque? Was this always part of the plan, or did it emerge as the typeface evolved?

That was always part of the plan for achieving true versatility. It’s basically three different typefaces in one! I love creating alternate characters, but this time I decided to prepare specific sets. I think the geometric set is pretty straightforward – many of the forms are simplified. The grotesque set adds spurs to various letters, bringing it closer to eccentric old grotesques. And, just to make sure there’s plenty to work with, haha, you can also enable a set with round dots or alternative arrows.

You’ve modernised elements from Univers and others, softening certain details. How did you balance staying true to these classic inspirations while giving Neue Corp a fresh, contemporary feel?

I think those classic sources still look fresh today, so it wasn’t difficult, haha. I just tried to piece it all together like a puzzle, to form a complete picture that matched my vision.

With everything from Thin to Black and Compressed to Extended, Neue Corp spans quite a range. What were the biggest challenges in keeping the family unified while allowing each style its own character?

Oh, there were plenty of challenges. The working title for Neue Corp was “Cycle.” I thought that this time I’d do everything properly, without revisions. Yeah, right. No other typeface of mine has been reworked as many times as Neue Corp. At some point, it felt like I was stuck in a cycle that kept repeating over and over. Keeping everything in a consistent style wasn’t easy, so I constantly had to compare and cross-check all the styles simultaneously.

Another issue was achieving clean interpolation, so the initial version of Neue Corp had a limited set of characters for testing. And, of course, the iterative development process I mentioned earlier played a big role

With 1,049 glyphs, Neue Corp offers extensive language support (which is no small feat). How did you handle that? What was your process for ensuring consistency and usability across multiple scripts?

The large number of characters is mainly due to the abundance of alternate characters in Neue Corp. In general, this typeface took a lot of time because of the sheer number of glyphs, not to mention the many styles. It was important to me to create a good Cyrillic set, so I worked on it in parallel with the Latin characters. This approach, in one way or another, influenced the visual appearance of all the letters.

What’s on the horizon for Neue Corp? Do you foresee any future expansions or updates? What directions might you consider exploring next?

I think Neue Corp has a bright future. If all goes well and I can continue working on typefaces, I definitely plan to expand it. I’m definitely planning to work on text styles and also on italics. Italics are a bit intimidating because of the workload, but I think I can handle it.

Neue Corp is free to try now!

👇 Credits! 👇