I generally refer to our typefaces as ‘graphic’ rather than typographic. By that I mean their starting points are usually ways of constructing shapes and systems of shapes. As with other Alias typefaces, Sabre has stone and wood cut letterforms as a starting point. What is interesting about lettercutting is the connection between shape and material. These beautifully crafted letterforms have a particular sharpness which reflects, of course, how they were made. The idea of constructing letters from a kit of parts we first explored in early fonts Elephant and Factory. These are different in that they were very much grid-based, with a geometric structure. For Sabre I also had Fred Smeijers’ stencil construction drawings in mind. These show how a set of components can be the basis for a crafted, elegant typeface. Sabre is quite a loose interpretation of this idea. Sabre’s graphic shape means it works well at large sizes, with a dramatic, angular impact. Its aim is to be typographic enough to function for blocks of small-size text too.