Tenso
exljbris · Jos Buivenga
A humanised grotesque with genuine italic, blending one-storey g and angled stroke terminals with higher-than-typical stroke contrast for a lively, readable character.
About
Tenso sits between a classical grotesque and a more contrasted sans, borrowing the one-storey lowercase g and closed, angled strokes on C, G and S from the grotesque tradition while introducing a stroke contrast above the grotesque norm. A true italic — not merely a sloped roman — gives it expressive range suited to extended text settings in print, apps and websites. Language coverage is broad, and each weight is packed with OpenType glyphs, spaced and kerned via Igino Marini's iKern service.
Classification
Described as a 'running sans serif' and 'playful grotesk', Tenso blends grotesque traits (one-story g, closed angled strokes on C, G and S) with higher stroke contrast and a true italic, placing it firmly in the humanised grotesque subcategory.