Type pairing insights for Font Diner's "Turnpike"?

mauschen15 August 2011 · 11:370 votes

Hey guys, I am using Turnpike in a logo, and am trying to find a good sans-serif companion for letterhead, business cards, presentation copy, etc. Turnpike matches well with some of Font Diner's retro scripts, but I am taking the logo in a more modern direction and I want to find a clean sans-serif companion that has a little bit of spunk. Some options I'm looking at are Typotheque's Jigsaw, HJF's Ideal Sans, and HVD's Brandon Grotesque.

My problem is, I like all of these faces alone but none of them were chosen based on how they pair with Turnpike. My usual rules for pairing are to find contrast or keep it withing the same "family", but I'm floundering a little with sans-on-sans. I can't tell if I should use something that matches' Turnpike's wideness, or go thin and narrow; if I should stay with something geometric and straight-edged, or go more rounded or organic. Any general rules you guys use for making these kinds of parings or even specific suggestions?

I know the best option is just to type them out together and stare at them for a few hours, but since I haven't actually purchased any of them except Turnpike, that process is a little cumbersome.

Thanks!
Heather

Nick Shinn15 August 2011 · 17:050 votes

Did someone say spunk?
You could try my Sense. It's tightly fitted with a big x-height, so will set a strong text block to hold its own against Turnpike.
Being slightly condensed, it will contrast in that respect with the wide Turnpike. And the reductive Futura-plan l.c. letter shapes are somewhat in harmony with Turnpike. Sorry, no small caps, but there are alternate figure styles.