Excavate is a sturdy yet very human display typeface which speaks just as well of life and vitality as it does of civilizations lost. The bones of the typeface were mined from a 2-dollar paperback from 1960; a handful of hand-drawn characters were interpreted into a full alphabet complete with numbers and Spanish accents.

The letters, with their harsh, gutsy cuts and primitive strokes, hold up well even at smaller sizes, making for a versatile display face. This is no corporate, uniform face but also no hack-job type artifact revival; built-in kerning provides for a natural texture, not perfection. The letters are built with freedom and intuition rather than mathematical precision + optical adjustments. Characters bounce along the base line and lean to and fro just enough to evoke a human touch.