We reimagined the visual identity for beckn, a universal protocol enabling open, decentralised digital ecosystems. The world carries interconnectedness in its pocket, yet continues to function in silos. Envisioned as free, open, and accessible, the internet’s promise remains uneven – one that beckn reimagines through open, decentralised digital ecosystems.

Having built beckn’s identity in 2020, the brand language was evolved from a quiet, minimal presence into one that feels bold, empowering, and deliberately counter-intuitive. Rooted in the metaphor of the rhizome – a non-linear, interconnected network – the refreshed system reflects how the internet actually works. At the core of the identity is an organic rhizome grid layered with a structured framework, balancing dynamism with order. A visual language built from three geometric forms circle, square, and pentagon – represents the ecosystem’s diverse participants.

Noto Serif forms the typographic foundation of the visual identity. Chosen for its open-source, multilingual foundation – supporting over 1,000 languages and more than 150 writing systems – it echoes beckn’s vision of an internet that is accessible, inclusive, and not owned by any single entity. Its considered, universal character reinforces the protocol’s role as shared infrastructure, while its classical structure introduces a counter-intuitive presence within a decentralised, technology-driven context. The supporting typeface, Poppins, provides a contemporary geometric contrast, bringing clarity and functional precision across digital interfaces.

Ultramorbidi is a Bremen-based duo that –

“one, i like it like FLOSS”

“two, free libre open source”

“three, and it’s got no boss”

“WE DE-CEN-TRA-LIZE, fedilike that!”

Plain Text is a printed publication for exploratory type design, edited and designed by Lucas Descroix and Benjamin Dumond, and published by type foundry Plain Form in January 2025.

From fiction to theory, from mystical analyses to visual works, Plain Text aims at exploring typographic imaginaries, moving beyond a strictly historical and technical framework, with a taste for the unknown and the dormant potential of writing. The first issue of Plain Text features voices from various backgrounds and generations, many offering a personal, even intimate or spiritual, approach to letters.

With contributions by Anne-Dauphine Borione, Lucas Descroix, Benjamin Dumond, Kirsten D. Dzwiza, Stefan Ellmer, Ayasha Khan, Zuzana Licko, Arman Mohtadji, William Skeen, Verso Wurm and Eager Zhang.

The texts of this black-and-white, bilingual publication are all set in the unreleased duo Basically Serif for the English and Basically Sans for the French. Additional information is set in Baskemo, also Serif and Sans, an automatically monospaced-and-skelefont’ed companion to Basically.

A number of display typefaces designed by Lucas Descroix and/or Benjamin Dumond are used throughout, for the title of each contribution as well as various emphasis moments. These include: Jester (in several styles), Michaux, Nostra Sett and Stream, Ready Active, Bygone and Clouded. Some unreleased display typefaces, either old or future, are also used but not shown here in the pictures.

The page numbers are set in Jester Hermit.

The publication opens with a number of dense pages showing hints of all upcoming contributions in their order of appearance.

Title set in largely squeezed Jester Hermit. The illustration on the right page shows Bonjour Monde’s Syne.

Title set in several layers of Ready Clouded Light. The article showcases the work of Anne-Dauphine Borione a.k.a. Daytona Mess, including her typefaces Sichem and Baleze Display, visible on the left page.

Title set in Michaux Bold. Left page shows a piece of lettering by Eager Zhang, part of her series “Family Portraits”.

Quote from Eager Zhang’s essay set in Michaux Bold for the English and Michaux Light for the French.

Title set in a generously squeezed Jester World. On the left we can spot bits of Ellmer Stefan’s asemic writing research.

Quotes from a conversation on asemic writing with type designer Stefan Ellmer ( The Pyte Foundry)

Title set in all-caps Nostra Sett

Title set in warped Ready Bygone Light, with a few floating outlined glyphs from Michaux Bold

Title set in all-caps Nostra Stream, together with works from Zuzana Licko

Title set in Ready Active Bold, with illustration by Arman Mohtadji. Left page shows bits of Tangly by Zuzana Licko / Emigre.

“Express Exegesis”, set on a circle in Jester Sun with a whole lot of negative tracking. The right page features the work of Julien Priez, a.k.a. Boogy Paper, with the unreleased Montreuil, his diploma project from Estienne ESAIG back in 2011.

Intro header

Phosphor Icons is an icon library that can be used everywhere from UI design to presentations. Icons are designed by Helena Zhang, while the website is made by Tobias Fried.

The majority of the website uses Manrope, while the code and tags are set to IBM Plex Mono. Both typefaces are freely available on Google Fonts.

Closeup of one of the illustrations in the website, with the text set to Manrope

Another closeup of one of the illustrations in the website when it’s hovered. The labels pointing to the icons are also set to Manrope.

The main section of the icons, with the labels and the toolbar set to Manrope

A pop-up showing the icon’s detail. Most of the pop-up is set to Manrope, but the tags and code are set to IBM Plex Mono.

Footer

Network Imaginaries is a project that reimagines distributed practices. It is published by Hackers & Designers, a non-profit workshop initiative that organizes activities at the intersection of technology, design, and art. The publication brings together diverse voices, creating a space where new perspectives unfold:

The contributors span a wide range of practices and reflect about network technologies in experimental and hands-on ways. They push the boundaries of existing technology and programming platforms (webware, hardware, software), online/offline networks, high and low tech (internet, IPFS, darknet, peer2peer, blockchain, bot networks, radio), and user experience — in a practical manner and while addressing the ethical implications of the proposed technologies and processes.

This publication was designed with ChattyPub, a self-made publishing tool leveraging an open source chat interface (Zulip) to apply css styles to the contributions. ChattyPub explores how a process of co-designing a publication unfolds in a chat environment, specifically when several people are designing and interfering at the same time. Through workshops H&D opened up the process of making this tool, and explores together with participants its possibilities and limitations.

Network Imaginaries embraces a diverse range of free typefaces created by women, with a design that playfully engages with digital culture aesthetics—from the raw look of terminal windows to the expressive realm of emojis. The contrasting duo of Compagnon Light and Compagnon Bold establishes a strong visual hierarchy, with their weight and style difference providing distinction to the content. Their monospace nature gives a grid-like structure to the text, typical of coding environments. This foundation is complemented by Anthony and Movement Indirect Thin, adding an eclectic flair to headlines and subtitles, while Authentic Sans and Literata balance the body text with clarity.

Mukti is the default font used for the user interface in the Ankur Bangla localization of the Linux GNOME Desktop operating system.

The Ankur Bangla Live CD was developed single-handedly by Sayamindu Dasgupta between December 2002 and January 2003, when he was a high school student in Kolkata, India. Ankur was a collaborative effort of Bengali speaking diaspora all over world, both of Indian and Bangladeshi origin.

Free Bangla Font Project is the pioneer of creation of Unicode encoded open source Bangla fonts in OpenType format. The Mukti Narrow font was created from legacy ANSI encoded Bangla Font bng-2n released under GNU Public Licence by Cyberscape Multimedia Ltd.

NadineCorp. is an open-source accounting tool created for designers affiliated with the Maison des Artistes, the national body managing the social security system for visual artists in France. In 2020, CRC Studio collaborated with Guillaume Bonneau to design and develop NadineCorp.’s branding, UI, social media presence, and full functionality.

On the website, Helvetica is substituted with Nimbus Sans.

The NadineCorp logo pairs Helvetica with Redaction and kana from Mondwest. The division logos use Cooper BT, M PLUS Rounded, STHupo, Microsoft YaHei and Stick. The social media brand logos additionally use Cooper Black, Eurostile, and ITC Avant Garde Gothic.

The fonts used for the fictional partners and sponsors are not listed under this post’s typeface credits, but they are Frankfurter Highlight. Gill Kayo, Frankfurter, NaN Jaune, and Nympha.

Assorted social media posts. The script fonts featured on some of them are Astenia and Ultra System Script.

Free Faces is a curated collection of free and open-source typefaces available under various licenses. Although it offers a more limited selection compared to larger font repositories, it provides enough options to meet a range of design needs.

The Free Faces website, created by Simon Foster, features a variety of font styles, including sans serif, serif, slab, monospace, display and cursive. Each typeface is sourced from different parts of the web and is available for commercial use.

The site design emphasizes simplicity, featuring clean aesthetics and significant contrast. Free Faces has been online since at least April 2016 and underwent a redesign before the current version was launched in March 2023. The website is set exclusively in Manrope Extralight and most of its visuals are generated using Midjourney, an AI image creation tool.

Wordpress.org, launched on May 27, 2003, by its founders Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little, is a powerful and highly customizable content management system (CMS) that has revolutionised website development and management.

The screenshots shown here document the website’s typography as of spring 2024.

As an open-source platform, WordPress.org is free to use, modify and distribute, fostering a vibrant community of developers and contributors who are constantly improving its capabilities. Major releases over the years have introduced significant advancements such as custom post types, an improved admin interface, the REST API, and the innovative Gutenberg block editor, which allowed users to design pages with drag-and-drop ease.

The flexibility of the platform is one of its biggest strengths, as it offers thousands of themes and plugins to meet to various needs, from simple blogs and personal websites to complex e-commerce sites and enterprise portals. Themes control the visual design of the website, while plugins extend the functionality, enabling features like SEO optimization, advanced security measures, social media integration, and comprehensive e-commerce solutions through tools like WooCommerce.

WordPress.org is known for its user-friendly interface, which makes it accessible to both beginners and experienced developers. The platform's extensive resources include a comprehensive documentation library, support forums, and regular meetups hosted by the global WordPress community, which provide invaluable support and promote collaboration among users. In addition, developer resources offer in-depth guides and tools for advanced customization, enabling developers to build highly specialized solutions.

WordPress.org's scalability makes it suitable for any project size, handling everything from small personal blogs to high-traffic corporate websites. Its open-source nature ensures continuous improvements and innovations, driven by one of the largest and most active communities in the web development world. For the latest updates and developments, users can follow the news section, ensuring they stay informed about new features and best practices.

A mobile preview of Unbot chatbot providing automated responses. On the right, the Sans Serif section showcasing Christopher Dalamagas’ Berlin Grotesk.

UNCUT.wtf is a curated online repository of free and open-source typefaces by independent designers. Founded on principle of respect for creators, it welcomes submissions from anyone looking to contribute their fonts. It is a comprehensive resource for designers seeking contemporary webfonts and variable fonts for their future projects.

The website is an initiative by Kasper Nordkvist, a Danish digital designer and front-end developer. It is designed using a typeface of his own creation, Uncut Sans, consistently applied across all pages. The unicase logo with ink traps appears to be custom drawn.

As of early 2024, UNCUT.wtf offers 151 curated typefaces, neatly organized into Sans Serif, Serif, Monospace and Display sections. Users can explore these categories through a user-friendly interface, presented in grid or list view. The Unbot chatbot adds a fun touch, providing automated answers to inform visitors. The site also adeptly caters to mobile users with a well-thought mobile version.

UNCUT.wtf stands out with clear typography, a lightweight interface, and effective size contrasts against a gray background. This design enhances information visibility, ensuring a smooth navigation experience. The hover effects on buttons add visual interest, and download pages feature animated red hearts on credits, contributing a delightful and inviting touch.

Launched in April 2021, UNCUT.wtf underwent a redesign in November of the same year, resulting in its current appearance and enhanced functionality. The primary font in use transitioned to Uncut Sans in late 2021, replacing the previous use of Apfel Grotezk during a brief period.

Periodic updates have consistently improved the website's functionality, introducing new content and ensuring a more enjoyable user experience. Instant downloads are available for some fonts, while others redirect users to trusted offsite sources. Importantly, the website refrains from including ads, respecting the hard work of type designers who generously share their creations with the public.

Uncut Sans is consistently used for headings and buttons (UI) throughout the website.

Desktop preview showcasing Ethan Nakache’s open-source Sprat.

The download page for Ortica Linear, initially distributed by Collletttivo

The download page for Vercetti features animated red hearts in the credits and provides details on the distribution license.

Serif section contents include typefaces such as Latitude, Équateur and Paragon.

Luigi Gorlero’s Apfel Grotezk as shown in the search results.

Kasper Nordkvist consistently uses his Uncut Sans typeface across pages containing information and text.

On the left, contents of the Serif section, including Instrument Serif. On the right, search results highlighting Eugénie Bidaut's Abordage.

The GitHub homepage uses Mona Sans. From Tobias Ahlin’s post on the GitHub blog:

Mona Sans is a strong and versatile typeface inspired by industrial-era grotesques. We designed it in collaboration with Degarism to work as our primary font across mediums, and with its variable width and weight, Mona Sans works well and stays expressive across product, web, and print. You can see it in use on our more marketing-oriented pages on GitHub (like /home and /features/copilot), at GitHub Universe. We use it for everything from body text to headers and pull-quotes.

Mona Sans is one of two variable open source fonts from GitHub. The other one is its robotic sidekick, Hubot Sans. Both were recently made available under the Open Font License (OFL).

The font used for code is specified in the CSS as “ui-monospace, SFMono-Regular, SF Mono, Menlo, Consolas, Liberation Mono, monospace”. That is, the website will be rendered in the monospaced UI font that’s available on the user’s operating system. The font shown in the images below is Menlo.

Vocations et dérives de la typographie libre, 2005–2021 is an essay about open source typography from 2005 to 2021, with a focus on what extent it influenced the font distribution process. It was written within the third year of my Bachelor studies in type design at École Estienne, then printed with school's presses in January 2022.

The titles are made of NaN Jaune, with variable weights from Light to Black. The font was designed by Jérémy Landes and released by NaN in 2021.

Univers Light by Adrian Frutiger (who gave lectures at École Estienne between 1952 and 1960) is used for the running text and the footnotes. It was released in 1957. I think this typeface allows a good contrast with the bold shapes of NaN Jaune typeface.

The choices of bichromy and Nan Jaune makes the booklet a bit more eyecatching than usual academic publications, and sets a hierarchy between the differents contents throughout the layout.

My introduction states:

The open-source community is wide and diverse but usually well studied when it comes to software or programming. Yet open-source typography is fairly overlooked, at least by people who are not type designers themselves.

Words from the publishing house Onomatopee:

This book is an artist’s guide to copyright, written for makers. Both practical and critical, this book will guide you through the concepts underlying copyright and how they apply in your practice.

Titles and footnotes are set in Glacial Indifference, and body text in Charis SIL, both free and open source typefaces.

In 2006, SIL International developed Charis SIL that supports over 2,300 characters from the Unicode standard, including Latin and Cyrillic scripts. Their shapes are based on Bitstream Charter, a typeface designed by Matthew Carter in 1987, itself based on Pierre-Simon Fournier’s characters from the 18th century.

In the realm of the command line, where black and white and monospaced fonts reign, the software group Charm is breathing new life into the terminal. Their mission is to make the command line glamorous and if their website is any testament to what they can bring to your CLI, they are succeeding.

Christian Rocha is the designer behind Charm’s website and uses Anchor as the primary display face. It is whimsical without being silly, and plump enough to support subtle gradients laid on top. Anchor also makes a home for hypnotic animations of … glowing? chroming? disco? Whatever it is, it’s fantastic. Pay a visit to Charm's website to see the animations in action.

Larsseit takes up the role of straight man and handles the body copy and secondary headlines. Code and some other snippets are rendered in JetBrains Mono. The unusual and charming Gabriello is used for Charm's logo.

GitHub, Inc. is a provider of Internet hosting for software development and version control using Git. It offers the distributed version control and source code management (SCM) functionality of Git, plus its own features.

The GitHub front site and social media for their update information system is using Alliance No.1 and Blimone (both by Degarism Studio). Alliance No.1 is used both for running texts and display typography. Blimone appears for Github ReadME podcast promotion in its Medium Inktrap style, alongside text in Alliance No.2.

The key figures on the homepage are specified to use the operating system’s monospaced UI font, and hence will look different from user to user. The font shown in the images appears to be DejaVu Sans Mono (or Menlo).

Originally developed by Rainbow Unicorn for the 2020 Internet Health Report, the Heal The Web typeface used in headlines is premised on a simple but big idea: heal the web with an experimental, open source typeface designed for everyone. The lettering resembles circuits, connections, and networks through geometric shapes sticking together like an abstract puzzle.

The Internet Health Report is Mozilla’s open source initiative to document and explain what’s happening to the health of the internet. It is a call to action to recognize the things that are having an impact on the internet today through research and analysis, and to embrace the notion that we as humans can make the internet healthier.

https://2020.internethealthreport.org

Poster and visual identity designed by Célia Grandhomme for OK Open Lab, a collective exhibition and event hosted at Cosmodule in Lyon.

The artists from the workshop presented a unique OK typeface design, a live coding music performance by DJ Spinelli, a metallic sculpture, various video projections, an interactive laser installation, freshly prepared cosmic food, and an original ceramic piece.

Quality for Culture is a research project on the management of art organisations by Beth Ponte, a Brazilian arts manager and researcher, Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and Visiting Researcher at the Institute of Arts and Media Management (KMM Hamburg). The resulting White Paper and Resource Guide are available for download with an open source license.

The research project Quality for Culture aims to bring Quality Management as a topic and practice for art organisations.

The 3D object illustrations, website and digital publications are designed by Hamburg-based Mählerbrandt. The typefaces are Neue Haas Grotesk and the Karelia Outtakes.

Whitepaper, cover.

Resource guide, cover.

Resource guide, interior.

Poster for ACORN, Living Rent and London Renters’ Union to encourage people to join these organisations. Headlines use Marvin Visions, smaller text is set with Futura.

Autonomous Design Group is an independent collective of designers, artists and creatives opposed to capitalism and authoritarianism. We maintain that the aesthetic is of vital importance in the terrain of political struggle. We aim to offer artistic support to a wide range of groups and movements and encourage everyone to contact us for designs. All our designs are open-source and editable.

​We use a combination of collage, creative graphical elements, strong typography and colour palettes to depart from the usual red and black style of the left – an aesthetic which we believe comes across as dated and out of touch.

Shown here is a selection of posters around the theme of housing rights. Find more housing posters on our website.

Rent Strike Weekender, with a collage based on 1950s Air France posters and using Commune Nuit Debout.

Social Housing, with a collage based on 1950s Air France posters, with text set in Helvetica Condensed.

“Homes for people not profit”, set in all caps Gibson.

Poster for Los Angeles Tenants Union, headlines set in Amboy Black.

Poster for Sacramento Tenants’ Union. Collage from 1950s Air France posters. Gill Sans on top, stretch Gill Kayo for the bottom lines.

Poster for London Renters’ Union during the Coronavirus pandemic.

About Prototype:

The Prototype Fund supports software developers, hackers, data journalists, creative and politically active people in realising their tech idea from the concept to the first demo. We enable innovative open source projects that strengthen democratic participation in Switzerland through digital solutions.

Surt (Blaze Type) is used throughout in its Regular style, with Bold used for emphasis.