The First Step

It’s no coincidence that we come into being as a foundry without typefaces. A space for reflection and learning. No pressure, no need for regular publications, or the pursuit of a best-seller. And like every person searching for their path, it has to start with The First Step.

June 22, 2025 by Octavio Pardo

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For some time now, launching this project from Ashler has been a persistent idea. Despite encountering varied obstacles along the way, today marks the official launch of Pathfinders. This step is evident, especially considering our track record of crafting bespoke fonts for diverse clients and contributing to the development of retail typefaces and foundries for fellow colleagues. It was about time.

Today, we unveil Pathfinders, a foundry –by the moment– without fonts. This is no accident; it’s a deliberate statement. In an era flooded with countless indistinguishable grotesque fonts, Pathfinders’ mission transcends the creation of typefaces; it extends to contributing to the discipline of typography. We aim to share the journey, the learning process, and our unique perspective, not just crafting a typeface but enriching the culture of the discipline and, in turn, the broader culture. However, we harbor no desire for regular or pressured publications. Our goal isn’t to become a reference medium but to offer the right environment for expression and learning. Is there a better time than now to start such a project, with online reading dwindling, and AI casting its shadow over every creative corner?

Thus, the name Pathfinders. This isn’t ‘Octavio & Elena’s foundry’ or the ‘x-height factor typefaces’. We aspire to be explorers, observers, and witnesses, walking paths that are not necessarily empty of fellow colleagues but document them with our own perspectives. While we strive to create contemporary, versatile, and highly usable fonts, achieving typical workhorse or sans serif best sellers isn’t our primary objective.

The essence of Pathfinders is to forge an environment where ideas sprouting from diverse projects find a nurturing space to evolve and thrive. The sight of typefaces confined to catalogs of extensive foundries and resellers reduced to a mere line of text has always been disheartening. It seems unjust to designers and typography itself, demanding months, even years, of labor, yet presented without the rich narrative it deserves. We will try to show our fonts at their best, but also explain them to our audience, so whenever you buy one you will be fully aware of what you are buying and the best possible way to use it.

Enter Pathfinders—the collaborative venture of a graphic and type designer with a Ph.D. in legibility and a penchant for verbosity, alongside a web designer impassioned by letters. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have thus far.

In this quest, much like any journey down a path, it all begins with The First Step.


Want to share your thoughts on this post? Tag me on X (@octaviopv) using the hashtag #TheFirstStep , comment on the post entry in our Instagram account, or send me an email at hello@pathfinders.rocks with the post title in the subject line.​