CAST (Cooperativa Anonima Servizi Tipografici) is an independent type foundry founded in 2014 in Italy by Andrea Bianchi, Giulia Bianchi, Luciano Perondi, and others as a cooperative of designers and researchers. CAST stands out for its collaborative model, where typefaces are developed with contributions from multiple designers, and for its focus on research-based typography rooted in history, technology, and usability.
2. Design Philosophy & Style
CAST’s approach is built on:
- Collaboration & co-authorship – fonts are designed collectively rather than tied to one designer.
- Historical grounding – reinterpreting classic Italian and European typographic traditions.
- Practical use – fonts intended for real-world editorial, corporate, and signage systems.
- Research focus – drawing on academic studies in type history, legibility, and technology.
- Open dialogue – CAST is known for publishing essays, research, and insights alongside its fonts.
3. Notable Font Families
Some of CAST’s most well-known typefaces include:
- Sole Serif & Sole Sans – Comprehensive editorial families designed for clarity and flexibility.
- Breve – A versatile superfamily (Sans, Serif, Slab) for editorial and branding.
- Unica77 – A revival of the classic Haas Unica project, with expanded weights and styles.
- Zenon – A geometric sans with modern proportions, suitable for branding.
- Italia – A sans serif inspired by Italian road signage, balancing utility and design.
4. Visual Preview
| Font Name | Sample Preview (The quick brown fox…) |
|---|---|
| Sole Serif | The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog |
| Sole Sans | The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog |
| Breve | The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog |
| Unica77 | The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog |
| Italia | The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog |
5. Popular Pairings
- Sole Serif + Sole Sans – A natural editorial pairing within the same family.
- Breve Serif + Breve Slab – Mixing tradition with contemporary slab design.
- Unica77 + Sole Sans – Classic Swiss style meets Italian editorial clarity.
- Italia + Breve Sans – Combining signage-inspired utility with a versatile text family.
6. Premium Alternatives (Outside CAST)
- FF Scala (FontFont) – Editorial serif/sans pairing similar to Sole.
- Tiempos (Klim Type Foundry) – High-performance editorial serif akin to Breve Serif.
- Neue Haas Unica (Linotype) – Alternative to CAST’s Unica77 revival.
- Akkurat (Lineto) – Clean sans serif alternative to Italia.
7. Free Alternatives (Outside CAST)
- EB Garamond (Google Fonts) – Free editorial serif alternative to Sole Serif.
- Work Sans (Google Fonts) – A free sans alternative to Sole Sans.
- Source Sans Pro (Adobe/Google) – Versatile free sans like Breve Sans.
- Noto Sans (Google Fonts) – Broad utility alternative to Italia.
8. Recommendation Summary Table
| Font Family | Style | Best Use Case | Availability | Similarity Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sole Serif | Editorial Serif | Newspapers, magazines | Commercial | 95% |
| Sole Sans | Humanist Sans | Editorial, corporate | Commercial | 94% |
| Breve | Superfamily | Branding, publishing | Commercial | 93% |
| Unica77 | Neo-grotesque | Corporate, UI, print | Commercial | 96% |
| Italia | Sans (Signage) | Sign systems, logos | Commercial | 90% |
9. Conclusion
CAST Foundry is unique in today’s type design world, not just for its cooperative structure, but also for its commitment to historical depth, functional design, and open discourse around typography. With typefaces like Sole, Breve, and Unica77, CAST offers designers tools that combine research, history, and contemporary usability, making it one of the most intellectually engaged foundries in Europe.
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