Thread Type is a modular variable typeface with weight and width axes, built entirely from a single archive: Tapetes de Beiriz. Founded in 1919 by Hilda Miranda in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal, Tapetes de Beiriz is known for a technique of its own, the Beiriz Knot, passed down from artisan to artisan for over a century.
Thread Type began as a study of that archive: geometric rug patterns, structural repetition, and letterforms found in the factory's historic tile records. Instead of designing letters from scratch, Thread Type extracts them from what already existed.
The typeface isn't inspired by the archive, it's built from it.
The typeface is built on a modular grid, where each letterform is constructed from a base unit extracted directly from the rug patterns. This module defines the entire system — every character shares the same underlying logic, regardless of weight or width.
Thread Type moves across two variable axes: weight and width, allowing the typeface to shift from delicate to bold, condensed to expanded, without breaking its structure. The variable font was developed in Glyphs 3, with construction tests in FontStruct and validation through Dinamo's variable font testing tools.
Thread Type was developed in collaboration with Tapetes de Beiriz, and was exhibited at FEST — Exhibition.
Thread Type, in practice. Two type specimens were developed to explore the system in full — testing weight and width across text, display, and large-scale composition.
Stories are written every day, yet few survive the weight of difficult times. Fábrica de Tapetes de Beiriz is proof that some do, that history, when rooted deeply enough, finds a way to endure. It is a story that has faced uncertainty, and continued regardless. A story that, despite everything, has not reached its end.
The factory resists. Thread rescues what cannot be left behind.
Interested in testing Thread Type?
Get in touch: giovanakumschlies@gmail.com