Meet TT Ramillas 2.000, an evolution of TypeType’s beloved serif

A candle, a soda, a hand cream – TT Ramillas pairs well with the things that make life slightly more luxurious. A stylish transitional serif, it was initially conceived as an experiment by international type design studio TypeType “to craft a modern serif with precisely balanced details by rethinking traditional forms and meticulously designing each glyph” as well as a need for a high-quality serif typeface for design tasks. “We wanted to create a font that was not only beautiful but also easy to use, with well-thought-out proportions, harmonious contrasts, and a universal structure,” explains Marina Khodak, TypeType’s Design Lead and the author of TT Ramillas version 1.000. “This typeface was meant to be a working tool for designers, typographers, and publishers, combining the aesthetics of classic serifs with modern technical requirements.”

Looking at classic serif typefaces and experiments with letterforms, TypeType analysed historical references with expressive serifs and balanced proportions, with a significant stage of the process dedicated to researching and analysing Cyrillic letters, “as their construction requires additional design solutions, especially compared to the Latin script,” notes Antonina Zhulkova, TypeType’s Design Lead and the author of version 2.000.

The original project, TT Ramillas version 1.000, produced seven upright styles (Light to Black), seven custom-drawn italic styles, and two decorative styles. The italics were meticulously crafted from scratch rather than simply being slanted, featuring carefully considered angles, serif shapes, and a balanced design that strikes a middle ground between being aggressive and having a soft style.

And while they abandoned their initial idea for “a serif typeface with ribbon-like serifs – stem extensions at the ends”, decorative elements still shine in the form of stylistic alternatives; decorative subfamilies, Outline and Decor, which have separate italic versions, just like the basic subfamily. These decorative styles work perfectly for headlines and eye-catching, accentuated short texts. “The idea of incorporating floral elements in the subfamily Initials was also linked to the overall concept of the typeface,” says Antonina. “TT Ramillas was designed as a sophisticated and elegant serif, so adding decorative details was a logical step. These elements give the typeface an artistic touch and make it appealing for use in titles, logos, and branding.”

For added versatility, TypeType also prepared a variable version of the basic font styles, allowing users to adjust and select specific font style weights without being limited by existing parameters.

“Over the years, TT Ramillas has been well-loved by users,” says Marina, “and now it is time for a refresh.” Although the original TT Ramillas was designed to a very high standard and had not yet become outdated either morally or technically, the updates involved a significant expansion of the character set. As Antonina reveals, this posed TypeType the greatest challenge of the process – “Sometimes we had to carefully consider which character shapes to choose. Within an already established system, it was essential to be very careful not to introduce foreign elements that could disrupt its harmony. Overall, the work went smoothly and efficiently.”

In version 2.000, new additions include an extended Cyrillic script and a supplemented Latin script. “The currency set has been expanded (including numerators and denominators), and fractions have been added,” notes Marina. “Additionally, the updated OpenType features include new stylistic sets and a significantly increased number of supported languages.”

As TT Ramillas continues to evolve, the latest updates both enhance its linguistic diversity and broaden its application across various creative fields. According to Marina, TT Ramillas is an excellent choice for fashion and art magazines and favourable for use in branding premium goods and services. “TT Ramillas is quite versatile,” she continues, “it performs great in headings, while small text blocks typed in this font will also be readable. Manual TrueType hinting integrated into this font allows it to excel in web design and applications.”