A2-Type Brand Guidelines: British Editorial Craft

A2-Type is refined British type, direct from the studio.

A2-Type is a lesson in refined, studio-born British type. Launched in 2010 by Scott Williams and Henrik Kubel as the foundry arm of their London studio A2/SW/HK, it is known for editorial and institutional work — its flagship New Rail Alphabet, plus Antwerp, the Regular family and New Transport.

Its brand design is refined, editorial and minimal — a monochrome, British-modernist presentation with a bespoke orientation. It describes itself as “100% independent,” licensing direct with no resellers.

(Honest notes: the flagship New Rail Alphabet is Kubel’s digital revival of the British Rail “Rail Alphabet” originally designed by Margaret Calvert in the 1960s — created in collaboration with Calvert, who is a collaborator, not an A2-Type founder; the sequel RA2 rolled out for Network Rail from 2020. Mercury is not theirs (that’s Hoefler & Co). And there’s no official brand hex, so the tones here are an unofficial interpretation.)

A2-Type lives in a navy editorial palette. Click a swatch to copy the hex.

A2-Type’s identity is refined, editorial and British — a navy, a signal red, a slate, a pale grey, and a paper. The palette is near-monochrome with a navy anchor and a signal-red accent — the register of British editorial and signage typography. It signals craft, restraint and institutional seriousness. The honest caveat: with no published brand hex, these tones are an original, unofficial interpretation, not first-party values.

The lesson is a navy editorial palette signals British craft. A2-Type’s world is a refined editorial and signage page. For designers, it is a reminder that a restrained navy-and-red palette — with plenty of monochrome — reads as considered, institutional and quintessentially British, right for a bespoke, editorial foundry. The takeaways: anchor with navy and one signal accent; keep it monochrome and refined; and treat any single hex as unofficial — using deep ink for small text so the palette stays editorial.

The register is a humanist sans — refined and editorial.

A2-Type’s identity carries a refined, editorial, British spirit — a monochrome, considered page with signage heritage. A clean humanist sans captures the mood: it is legible and refined, the register of British editorial and transport typography. Set in a navy editorial palette, the humanist sans feels refined and editorial — exactly the personality A2-Type carries. It is considered rather than loud, mirroring a bespoke specimen. (A2-Type’s real wordmark and its retail typefaces — New Rail Alphabet, Antwerp and the rest — are commercial products and trademarks we name but do not reproduce or set text in; the exact brand typeface is not ours to use.) Because those faces are not ours to set, the honest description is “a humanist sans spirit,” shown here in a stand-in. The type behaves like the brand: refined, editorial and British.

A2-Type stands for refined, bespoke British type.

A2-Type is a lesson in studio-grade bespoke craft. A refined navy palette, a monochrome editorial presentation and a catalogue rooted in editorial and signage work make British craft the whole identity — considered, institutional, independent. The bespoke craft is the differentiator. The differentiator is a refined, editorial, British identity.

For designers and brand-builders, A2-Type offers a clear takeaway: studio-grade craft can be the brand. The lessons: keep the identity refined and monochrome; anchor with a considered palette; and let genuine editorial/signage work carry the credibility. It is also a reminder to report fairly: New Rail Alphabet is Kubel’s revival with Margaret Calvert (its 1960s originator), Mercury isn’t theirs, and the palette here is an unofficial interpretation. A2-Type made British craft the brand — proof that refinement can be the difference.

Keep A2-Type’s identity on hand — save it to a board in the Made Good inspiration library.