Typelab is an online foundry dedicated to experimental and niche typeface design, a curated space for unconventional, visually striking typefaces impossible to find elsewhere. Founded by Floriane Rousselot, the platform works as a living collection of capsule releases: custom type families created by the founder or submitted by emerging type designers seeking visibility in a discerning design community.

The challenge was to design an e-commerce platform that could showcase highly experimental, diverse typefaces without visual chaos. The site needed to treat each typeface as a desirable, collectible product while maintaining clarity and navigation across dozens of unique, niche designs. The design had to balance sophistication with accessibility, making complex typography feel approachable and exciting for both seasoned designers and curious newcomers.

I created a deliberately restrained, brutalist interface in black and white only, intentionally stripping away color to let typography breathe and shine as the hero. The structure is grid-based, geometric, and concise: clean categorization by collection, straightforward product pages, and a side cart displaying rotating 3D previews of each typeface. Each font is positioned as a rare, desirable object priced accessibly as display/titling typefaces to encourage experimentation. Beyond the core shop, I developed an interactive personality test that algorithmically assigned users a matching typeface based on their design sensibilities, creating engagement and discovery. The site's brutalist simplicity became its greatest strength: it positioned Typelab as a serious, curated destination rather than a typical font marketplace.

Typelab quickly became a reference point in the design community, earning widespread recognition far beyond a typical product launch. The platform was featured extensively across design publications and blogs, accumulating dozens of press mentions and establishing itself as a go-to destination for experimental typography. Floriane Rousselot was interviewed repeatedly about the project and invited to speak at conferences, cementing her position as a distinct voice in the type design world. Over its lifetime, the platform hosted four full collections before closing in 2021; a deliberate, considered end to a project that had fully achieved what it set out to do: prove that experimental typography could be both commercially viable and culturally resonant.