Meet Plain Form, the foundry whose type families are far from plain

For many type designers, one of the everlasting battles is deciding whether you want to pursue a more classic type design or something more abstract. Plain Form is a foundry that has firmly set itself on doing both. The recently formed outfit run by Lucas Descroix is one that prioritises making “eclectic family constructions” of letterforms. Prior to finding his niche in type design, Lucas practised more broadly as a graphic designer, a fact he still sees as influencing his work; he cites the “adventurous” editorial designs of SpMillot and the “amazingly rich and generous” posters of Félicité Landrivon as still providing him great inspiration.

Through Plain Form’s families, Lucas explains that he loves to “search for the magical moment when a form switches from pure abstraction to being recognised as a letter and vice-versa”. Lucas continues: “There’s something of a ‘mad scientist’ feeling when it comes to giving life to a letter, a vessel for content, meaning and culture, particularly when dealing with extreme shapes such as organic complexities or, on the contrary, stripped-down geometric surfaces.” Here at It’s Nice That, we can’t get enough of Plain Form’s recent family Ready. Made in collaboration with long-term friend Benjamin Dumond, the glitchy, varied family is truly an indication of Plain Form at its best.