Some typefaces defy classification. These rare birds come from a space beyond man’s ability to label and categorize. Satura was born in that unusual place. Yet its origins are not so foreign that it’s overtly strange or illegible. In fact, Satura’s gentle curves and transitions are rather appealing, as if you’ve seen them before. But there has never been a face or family quite like this.

A creative collaboration between Göran Söderström (Stockholm) and Peter Bruhn (Malmö), Satura began with Göran’s concept for a reversed contrast typeface — one in which the horizontal strokes are heavy, rather than the more traditional vertical stress. Sparked by these ideas, Peter responded with his own thoughts. For months, the design bounced back and forth over the Nordic intertubes until the summer of 2010 when the friends met in Malmö to complete the project in person. Type design is most often a solitary undertaking, so perhaps it is this dialogue between the two Swedes that makes Satura so unique.

Derived from a Latin word meaning “mixed dish”, the Satura Suite is four related, but distinct, sub-families: Satura, the mother, a display face with reversed contrast; Satura Parts, a stencil version; Satura Core, the contrast removed, revealing the design’s basic structure; and Satura Text, a more conventional and readable interpretation, suitable for smaller and longer text. Each sub-family includes multiple weights. Satura Text adds italics. But expect the style range to grow in the future — Satura is a living project.