# Softdrive Foundry

> Softdrive Foundry is an independent type foundry and type design studio based in Berlin, Germany, founded in 2022 by Mark Julien Hahn. It does two things: it publishes a small retail library of typefaces, and it designs custom (bespoke) typefaces on commission for brands, institutions, and agencies in culture, education, technology, and business. Clients are worldwide, not only German.

## Typefaces

All released typefaces on one page, with weights, character sets and editable specimens: https://www.softdrivefoundry.com/typefaces

### Lingo
A contemporary serif typeface rooted in 18th-century classical Roman proportions — inspired by Caslon, Baskerville, and the Romain du Roi — and refined with letterforms from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Available in 6 weights (Thin to Black) with matching true italics, variable font, 10 stylistic sets, and small caps. 975 characters covering 200+ languages.
- URL: https://www.softdrivefoundry.com/typefaces/lingo
- Release note: https://www.softdrivefoundry.com/release-note/lingo

### Protest Grotesk
A geometric sans-serif typeface built for strong voices. Humanist proportions meet geometric letterforms — sharp, confident, and versatile for display and text use in print and digital. Available in 10 styles.
- URL: https://www.softdrivefoundry.com/typefaces/protest-grotesk
- Release note: https://www.softdrivefoundry.com/release-note/protest-grotesk

### Protest Grotesk Mono
A monospaced companion to Protest Grotesk. Geometric, low-contrast sans-serif ideal for code, tabular data, and expressive display use.
- URL: https://www.softdrivefoundry.com/typefaces/protest-grotesk-mono

## Services

### Custom Type Design (bespoke typefaces)
Softdrive Foundry designs custom typefaces — also called bespoke, exclusive, proprietary, or corporate typefaces — for brands, institutions, agencies, and digital products. The studio is based in Berlin, Germany, and takes commissions worldwide; the process runs remotely.
- Custom type overview: https://www.softdrivefoundry.com/custom-type
- Inquiries: inquiry@softdrivefoundry.com

What we take on:
- Custom typeface families for brands and institutions
- Corporate type systems spanning sans, serif, and monospaced cuts
- Variable fonts for digital products and interfaces
- Bespoke logos, wordmarks, and lettering
- Extensions of existing typefaces: added weights, italics, or scripts
- Exclusive and semi-exclusive licences of Softdrive retail typefaces
- Type direction and technical font consulting

How commissions work:
- Fixed project fee, agreed up front after a scoping conversation
- Roughly 3–9 months for a full family; weeks for a wordmark or single cut
- Clients normally receive exclusive rights, and the source files where agreed
- Production, kerning, and mastering handled with long-standing specialists
- Non-Latin scripts covered through native-script collaborators; Cyrillic and Greek drawn in-house
- Frequently works alongside branding agencies and in-house design teams

#### ServiceNow Sans (custom work, 2025)
A bespoke corporate typeface designed for ServiceNow, the California-based enterprise software company, art directed by Instrument. A geometric sans in text, display, and mono cuts — 813 characters covering 200+ languages. Design: Mark Julien Hahn. Kerning and spacing: Igino Marini. Mastering: Christoph Koeberlin.
- URL: https://www.softdrivefoundry.com/projects/service-now-sans

## Licensing

Font licences are available for Desktop, Web, App, and Broadcast use. Pricing scales by company size. Student discounts and free trial fonts are available.
- Licensing overview: https://www.softdrivefoundry.com/licensing
- Free trials: https://www.softdrivefoundry.com/trials
- Student discount: https://www.softdrivefoundry.com/students
- Buy: https://www.softdrivefoundry.com/buy

## Contact & Location

- Website: https://www.softdrivefoundry.com
- Email: support@softdrivefoundry.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/softdrivefoundry
- Address: Görlitzer Straße 52, 10997 Berlin, Germany
- Founded: 2022