Pixel Nova [ARCHIVED]

A modern pixel font in two weights.

A modern pixel typeface designed for interfaces, tickers, and small-format terminal work. Two weights (regular and rounded), 128 glyphs, released as an .otf.

Client

Self-initiated

Year

2023

Industry

Typography

Turnaround time

~4 weeks

The Question

Most pixel fonts on the internet are either pixel-perfect throwbacks (unusable at small sizes on modern screens) or "pixel-inspired" fonts that don't actually have the pixel structure. I wanted one that worked at real UI sizes, legible in a monospace ticker, legible in a running paragraph, legible as a header.

The Approach

Pixel Nova started as a grid. Every glyph is built on the same 5×7 base pixel grid, with a consistent stroke logic, one pixel wide, always aligned. Two weights: Regular (sharp corners, closest to a CRT typeface) and Rounded (softened corners, closer to a modern OLED aesthetic).

Character set — 128 glyphs, covering uppercase, lowercase, numerals, standard punctuation, and common symbols
Kerning — Manually adjusted for common English pairings; loose enough to work at ticker sizes
Weight logic — Rounded is not a filter over Regular; each glyph was drawn separately to preserve the base grid

The Outcome

Released on Behance as a specimen and free download. The specimen page treats the font like a real type release full character set, weight comparisons, and usage examples in context.