Contro
Contro is a nine-weight typeface designed by Harsh Patel and Michael Cina, available exclusively through Public Type. Taking inspiration from early 20th-century Italian modernist typography, Contro embraces global writing traditions. It is not a revival typeface—it does not replicate the past but moves forward through the designers' unique perspective. Harsh Patel’s initial alphabet, drawn in November 2023, laid the groundwork for Michael Cina’s exploration, resulting in a fully realized glyph set. Together, the designers crafted a typeface that melds multiculturalism and experimentation.
Contro’s glyphs and styles were designed with many typographic cultures in mind. The turn of the 20th century, a pivotal moment in industrialization, inspired a focus on universality in typography. The conceptual backbone of Contro pays homage to iconic figures such as Tschichold, Renner, Bill, and Bayer. Contro challenges designers to explore new methods of language construction and rethink their typographic choices. While it supports legible Latin text, its true potential lies in the user’s hands, encouraging intentionality in spacing, layout, and overall design.
Collaboration has been central to Contro’s creation. Harsh and Michael’s partnership spans over two decades, built on a mutual understanding of visual form and a nearly psychic dialogue. More than half of Contro’s glyph set was designed by Michael Cina within days of seeing Harsh’s initial letters. This process exemplifies Cina’s staggering intuitiveness and ability to balance high precision with creative freedom.
Contro invites users to explore its vast glyph set with curiosity and purpose. Designed to inspire dialogue, experimentation, and meaningful typographic choices, it encourages users to ask big questions about form, meaning, and typography’s role in a global context. The possibilities are endless.
Contro’s glyphs and styles were designed with many typographic cultures in mind. The turn of the 20th century, a pivotal moment in industrialization, inspired a focus on universality in typography. The conceptual backbone of Contro pays homage to iconic figures such as Tschichold, Renner, Bill, and Bayer. Contro challenges designers to explore new methods of language construction and rethink their typographic choices. While it supports legible Latin text, its true potential lies in the user’s hands, encouraging intentionality in spacing, layout, and overall design.
Collaboration has been central to Contro’s creation. Harsh and Michael’s partnership spans over two decades, built on a mutual understanding of visual form and a nearly psychic dialogue. More than half of Contro’s glyph set was designed by Michael Cina within days of seeing Harsh’s initial letters. This process exemplifies Cina’s staggering intuitiveness and ability to balance high precision with creative freedom.
Contro invites users to explore its vast glyph set with curiosity and purpose. Designed to inspire dialogue, experimentation, and meaningful typographic choices, it encourages users to ask big questions about form, meaning, and typography’s role in a global context. The possibilities are endless.
Harsh Patel
Harsh Patel (born Nairobi, living and working in Los Angeles) is a graphic designer, design educator, and publisher. His work circuits acceptance and collaboration within graphic design and fine arts, and overground and underground operations. He has collaborated with galleries, artist studios, fashion designers, non-profit organizations, musicians, and cultural institutions. He has lectured extensively on how design history is continually reshaped by issues of equality and representation.
Michael Cina
Michael Cina’s work exists at the intersection of design, typography, branding, strategy, and art. This uncommon mix allows him to see differently and direct ideas with purpose. Decades of moving fluidly between disciplines have shaped an approach that blends instinct with strategy, intuition with clarity, and expression with systems thinking.
An internationally recognized Creative Director and Artist, Michael leads the multi-disciplinary studio Cina Associates. His work spans global brands including Disney, Apple, American Express, ESPN, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Hewlett-Packard, and Microsoft. Across his career, he has synthesized typography, branding, illustration, motion, web, music, photography, and type design into cohesive systems that perform across platforms and cultures. His work has been widely published, recognized with Emmy and Grammy honors, and he is a frequent speaker at global design conferences, sharing a point of view rooted in authorship, clarity, and long-term brand thinking.
