Josh Finklea’s Centra series is a study in utility and restraint. In keeping with his approach of iteration and improvement to the traditional typographic tools of graphic design, Finklea’s latest work tackles one of typography’s most popular genres, the geometric sans. Instead of strict adherence to a formal geometric structure, Finklea’s approach to the Bauhaus model is largely aesthetic. While Futura and other historical models of the genre were designed as distilled typographic expressions of modernism, Centra acts as a contemporary typographic expression with modernist characteristics. Centra emphasizes texture and readability over conceptual rationale, attributes that can be frustratingly elusive when using many strictly geometric sans-serif typefaces.
The Centra Series is divided into two parts, both sharing a foundational geometric structure. While Centra No.2 leans into its modernist roots, Centra No.1 finds a more humanist voice, drawing inspiration from the great British contributions to the genre like Johnston and Gill Sans. The construction differences between the two families, as well as their intricate system of stylistic alternates, comprise an interesting stylistic axis, between the geometric and the mildly humanist, and provide designers with a robust set of tools for navigating this axis.
Centra No.1 is an interesting balance of humanist construction applied to a geometric framework. It contains double story “a” and “g” forms more reminiscent of the written word, making it more suitable for text environments, as well as a distinctive Eric Gill inspired “t”.
The demo of this typeface provides you with basic useful features completely for free. This font is free for personal use only. Link to purchase and use it for commercial purposes: HERE.
Centra Sans Serif Font Family
Name: Centra
Designed, Published by: Sharptype
Font Categories: Sans Serif, Basic
Languages Supported: Multi-language support
License: FREE for Personal Use Only
Format: OTF, TTF
Total Files: 80
