Silk Serif on the Cover of Vogue Netherlands - mbl interview
This is a translation of an interview originally published in Icelandic by Edda Gunnlaugsdóttir on mbl.is. While every effort has been made to accurately convey the content and tone of the original interview, some nuances may differ in translation.
Original interview: https://www.mbl.is/smartland/frami/2025/02/26/letur_rakelar_notad_af_storfyrirtaekjum_ut_i_heimi/
Rakel Tómasdóttir is a graphic designer at the advertising agency Cirkus. She is also a type designer and visual artist. Typeface design is an obscure field for many, but she says it’s a large industry despite its low visibility. Silk Serif, a typeface Rakel designed as a student at the Iceland University of the Arts, is one of the best-selling fonts on the world’s largest type marketplace. Companies such as Condé Nast, Nike, and Bergdorf Goodman have used it, and it was also featured on the cover of the Dutch edition of Vogue.
“When people ask what I do, I usually say I’m a graphic designer, which I am, but it takes so long to explain that type design is actually a profession,” says Rakel.
“Some may know me from my visual art, but it’s all connected. Sometimes I draw naked women, and sometimes I draw letters.”
A Bit Like Sudoku
So, what is the process of designing a typeface?
“The first step is to sketch a few letters. Then it’s a bit like Sudoku—the more letters you create, the easier it becomes to see what fits and what doesn’t.”
She says the beginning of the process is the most enjoyable, as with most creative projects. “However, most of the time is spent making sure all the letters work together and adjusting the spacing between them so the typeface flows well and creates a pleasing balance. It’s a highly meticulous task, but I love losing myself in the tiniest details.”
She is often asked whether there aren’t already enough typefaces in existence.
“But you could ask the same question about any field of design. Haven’t all possible jeans or chairs already been designed? It’s understandable that people who don’t work with type daily might not see the differences between various typefaces, but graphic designers definitely do—after all, they work with type every day. There are always people looking for new fonts. It may not be the most visible industry, but it is massive on a global scale.”
Designed Silk Serif During an Internship
Can you tell me about the typeface Vogue used?
“It’s called Silk Serif and was the first typeface I released. In fact, it was my graduation project from the Iceland University of the Arts in 2016,” says Rakel.
“While studying graphic design at university, I interned with Regina Rourke at Glamour magazine. Regina had a clear vision of the kind of typeface she wanted to use, but we couldn’t find one that fit. At the same time, I was taking a type design course and decided to try creating the typeface we needed.
I soon realized it was an enormous task for a second-year student with no experience in type design, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try. It turned out that type design suited me well, and we ended up using the font in the magazine. A year and a half later, I had added bold and italic styles, and my graduation project had evolved into a fourteen-style type family.”
Initially, the working name for the typeface was The Intern, but she needed a better name for her final project.
“But how do you even choose a name for a typeface? Well, you go through all the nail polishes in the office with your friends. My friend Adda picked up a small silver polish called Silk, and that was it,” Rakel recalls.
“Since then, I’ve named all my typefaces after textiles—Silk, Velour, Chiffon, and so on.”
Quickly Became a Best-Seller
After graduating, she decided to put the typeface up for sale.
“Not that I expected people to buy it, but I just wanted to officially complete the project and release it. So I was very surprised when Silk Serif quickly became one of the best-selling fonts on MyFonts.com, one of the world’s largest type marketplaces.”
How does the process of selling a typeface work?
“To use a typeface, you need to purchase a license. It works just like any other online store—the customer buys the font through my website or a marketplace, receives the files via email, and can then use it on their computer or website. Larger companies with higher usage pay more. Vogue Netherlands bought a license and can use it across all their content,” Rakel explains.
Seeing Her Typeface in the World
How does it feel to see your typeface used by major brands?
“It’s surreal to think that the letters I drew at a small desk in art school nine years ago ended up on the cover of Vogue,” she says.
Telling a Cashier She Designed the Typeface
“A few years ago, I was walking around New York with a friend when I looked up and saw my typeface on a giant billboard for a cosmetics store. On the same trip, I visited the prestigious department store Bergdorf Goodman because I knew they had purchased the font. Inside, I found Silk Serif in a magazine they had published. I got so excited that I told the cashier I was the designer of the typeface in the magazine. He had no idea what I was talking about, but I was thrilled.”
Other major brands that have licensed her typefaces include Condé Nast, Nike, DuJour Magazine, Penguin Random House, and Bobby Berk.
She finds immense joy in seeing her typefaces in use. “But honestly, I’m just really happy that I get to make a living drawing letters—something I didn’t even know was possible until I started doing it.”