Est. 2019 — Portland, Oregon
Coastal
Type
Foundry
Where ink meets the sea — letterforms shaped by tides, fog, and the weight of salt air on paper.
Explore the collection
Est. 2019 — Portland, Oregon
Where ink meets the sea — letterforms shaped by tides, fog, and the weight of salt air on paper.
Explore the collection
The Collection
A high-contrast serif with organic terminals — each stroke recalls the retreating edge of a wave on wet sand.
A sturdy geometric sans built for headings — blunt, protective, unyielding as a jetty against the open Pacific.
A textured display script with eroded edges — every glyph looks sun-bleached, as though left out in salt spray for years.
A commanding slab serif with deep ink traps — designed to cut through noise the way a foghorn cuts through grey morning air.
About
Coastal Type Foundry is a two-person studio working from a converted boathouse on the Oregon coast. We design typefaces slowly — one release a year, sometimes fewer. Our process begins with ink on paper: brush pens, pointed nibs, and sumi ink mixed with seawater we carry up from the beach below our studio.
We believe letterforms should carry the memory of their making. Every curve, every serif, every weight in our families holds traces of the coastline where they were drawn.
The sea doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes. Good type families work the same way.
Mara Chen, Creative Director
Get in Touch
For licensing inquiries, custom commissions, or collaborations — we'd love to hear from you. We typically respond within two tides.