I’m a big fan of Sharp Type and make sure to keep attuned to the team’s releases. Rotina scrolled across my feed around the time of the NYC mayoral election. We had just published an article on how design shapes democracy, featuring Zohran Mamdani’s campaign aesthetics, and how breaking with routine can cut through the noise (and it wasn’t just about the use of color as Cuomo discovered). Rotina caught my eye for the same reasons Mamdani’s campaign brand did: bold forms communicating clearly and urgently, yet full of personality, making civic engagement look fun.
On the surface, Rotina is a reliable and agile modernist sans. The neo-grotesque’s high-contrast legibility and utilitarian sensibility have all the makings of a balanced and comprehensive typeface ideal for translating omnimedia brand systems. But beyond its all-business first impression, Rotina offers a playful surprise. It’s a “workhorse with a wink,” says Sharp Type.
It’s no accident that Rotina has a fun-loving side, with an organic, hand-lettered feel. The typeface was designed by Erik Marinovich, a San Francisco-based designer and lettering artist, in collaboration with Lucas Sharp.
Rotina’s three subfamilies follow the sibling archetypes. Rotina is the upright, rule-following, overachieving eldest child. Rotina Script is the mediator, the middle child who can play a little out of the parental gaze while still getting the job done. Rotina Swash, enabled with OpenType features, is the youngest—a bit rebellious, drawing attention with a little swagger.
Left: Rotina; Middle: Rotina Script; Right: Rotina Swash
A highly functional, close-knit family, Rotina plays together nicely. The tight style offers a tracked display axis (below).
Rotina is a true workhorse, engineered with eight weights and swash capitals (for each style), twelve sets of stylistic alternates, an extensive OmniLatin character set, fun glyphs, and impressive language support.
Erik and I wanted to create something that could really do it all. It’s built on a solid neo-grotesque foundation for clean body text, but we packed in swash characters and a companion script so you can add personality instantly. Whether you need it buttoned-up or expressive, it’s all there in one family.
Lucas Sharp
The typeface is a co-production between Sharp Type and NuForm Type; licenses are available through Sharp Type.
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