Welcome to 2026!(?) This is, again, Ben Kiel writing this issue of XYZ’s Background Layer.

It’s pretty hard to focus on work with what can only be called a government-sponsored occupation of Minnesota, but I’ll tell you what we’ve been up to below. However, to start, take a minute to read How To Help if You are Outside Minnesota and Stand With Minnesota

WIP

While working to wrap up some long-simmering projects, we’ve also been noodling with some new things:

A Sans

I keep throwing out squircle-based designs for client projects, and Jesse had a design for Polymode Sans that was based on a similar idea from a bodega sign, so Zrinka took those various bits and has been working through what the idea could look like. We’re really loving where this is going.

A Serif

Another start from an option a client didn’t choose, Zrinka has also been playing with a warm, bookish serif design.

An Arabic

Aglet was not the super family we expected, but it made a lot of sense to work on an Arabic version of the design (sense = it would pair with three different Latin designs: Sans, Slab, and Mono; and this type of rounded design doesn’t have a ton of Arabic counterparts, so it will be somewhat unique). Kristyan Sarkis is working on this in partnership with TPTQ Arabic and us.

Identity Is Variable

Sometimes it’s nice to remember that you don’t have to spin up a stack of JavaScript nonsense to make a webpage: a text editor and ftp client are all you need. I had fun with some CSS animation to create a simple page to promote the Identity Is Variable book. We are about to have the final design review of it before it goes to the editor for a last pass, then on to press. Hopefully, this one will be printed by the end of February!

Letterwest

We’re sponsoring the upcoming LetterWest conference in April (the 10th and 11th). Everyone we know who has gone/spoken has really loved the event, so it was an easy yes from us (specifically, we are the sponsor for Jessica Hishe’s keynote and Q&A, so we hope there’s an XYZ font somewhere in that deck Jessica!). If you’re interested in going, you can use the code ‌ XYZTYPE to get 10% off your registration.

Music recs

One of my favorite bands, The Bad Plus, is calling it quits at the end of the year. They were in Saint Louis last week, so I saw them twice — highly recommend seeing them while you can if you like jazz.

Closing out with a shout-out to Mike Davis (aka Mike2600), who is co-owner of Burlesque of North America. Mike was one year ahead of me in college, and we all thought he was the coolest (and also the nicest). We went to see him DJ and watched him launch a career doing fantastic work in Flash. He moved to Minneapolis and has been there ever since, running Burlesque and its associated projects (an art gallery and community events). They are the folks behind these great protest posters (and other things). Fast Company wrote up the story of the posters, and yes, Mike is still the coolest.