Studio HanLi’s entwined design practice has a creative approach led by fun, not fads
Alongside their accompanying type foundry Hal, Elias and Lucas produce work rooted in historical research with an edge of experimentation.
Having originally crossed paths whilst studying in Berlin, where the duo has since reconvened to run their studio, Elias Hanzer and Lucas Liccini of Studio HanLi spent several years collaborating between London and Vienna post-graduation. Hitting the ground running, they immediately set up shop, doing things very much their own way, setting in motion a creative approach that the pair still enact to this day. “Our early projects were often typeset with in-house produced fonts, which then gained interest from other designers,” Elias and Lucas tell us, “so we began offering licenses for our typefaces,” very naturally snowballing into the digital type foundry Hal, which they run concurrently with HanLi. “These outfits are two sides of the same coin,” they say. “We present them separately but in reality both are very intertwined and tied to one studio practice,” uniquely crafting type through the eyes of a graphic designer, with the knowledge and dexterity of a type designer.
Both HanLi’s graphic and typographic outputs are equally as effortless, pleasant and confidently simple as one another, resulting in work that feels like it was always meant to be precisely the way it was created. This irreverent visual strength is perhaps due to HanLi’s creative philosophy, or rather, its lack of one, refusing to follow a formula as a studio. “There is an unofficial studio rule that with every new project, if possible, we try something new,” Elias and Lucas say, leading to work that, albeit challenging, is always refreshing and never repetitive. “Additionally, when working on a concept we sometimes ask ourselves how this piece of graphic design might age,” looking to create work that doesn’t tap into trends whilst equally avoiding the “boring” side of design. “Ultimately, our goal is to be excited and interested in what we do and have some fun as well.”
Elias and Lucas’ dedication to fun is apparent not only in the equally joyful books, brands, and typefaces that HanLi designs, but also in their approach to research, which often finds them “crate digging” through their historical typographic vaults. “We find it very satisfying and also helpful for research and form-finding,” the duo explain, “we are just trying to develop an awareness and engagement with visual culture from the past and the present,” rather than looking at any one source or era for inspiration.
HanLi and Hal have big plans for the upcoming year, including a sizeable, extreme x-height, multi-weight geometric sans serif family soon to be released, titled Hal Magic. “With the help of our collaborator Alex Lescieux,” they continue, “HAL Timezone is currently being extended with plenty of new weights,” alongside a complementary new foundry website. “We’re also currently developing a display face inspired by Leporello,” Elias and Lucas end, in a fashion true to their historical font obsession, “it’s a typeface by Friedrich Poppl from the late 1970’s,” something we, for one, cannot wait to see.
Studio HanLi: HAL Repost Type Specimen (Copyright © HAL Typefaces, 2024)
Studio HanLi: Markus Zimmermann’s business cards (Copyright © Studio HanLi, 2024)
HAL Typefaces: Preview of upcoming HAL Timezone extension (Copyright © HAL Typefaces, 2023)
Studio HanLi: “Der Fleck” Film Poster (Copyright © Studio HanLi, 2024)
Studio HanLi: Poster Design for Senckenberg Naturmuseum (Copyright © Studio HanLi, 2023)
HAL Typefaces: HAL Magic overview (Copyright © HAL Typefaces, 2025)