Yulia Gonina: Trust Your Intuition
/ Founder and type designer of Schrifteria Foundry
by Elizabeth Lavis | 20 Jul 2026
"It’s about staying open to possibilities and allowing curiosity to guide the path forward”
Founder and type designer of Schrifteria Foundry, Yulia Gonina operates from the simple but effective personal philosophy of always trusting her instinct and following what feels right in the moment, even if she can’t yet see where it will lead. “Many of the most meaningful steps in my life and career came from making decisions that felt instinctive rather than carefully planned,” she says. “For me, it’s about staying open to possibilities and allowing curiosity to guide the path forward.”
Gonina comes from Moscow, Russia, and currently calls Montreal, Canada, her home. “Moving between cultures has shaped the way I see design, showing me how much context can influence form and meaning,” she says. “Each place left its imprint on my work. Stockholm inspired the SFT Schrifted family with its balance of structure and romance, while Belgrade sparked SFT Ritam Sans, full of energy and freedom. These experiences keep me curious and attentive to my surroundings, guiding me to create typefaces that feel both connected to place and timeless in character.”
She discovered the profession of type design in her first year of art school, and it immediately caught her interest. “At the time I didn’t give it much weight,” Gonina says. “Later, when I was already working as a graphic designer, I realized I wanted to find a more focused direction for myself. That’s when I remembered this early interest and decided to explore it more seriously. Looking back, it was absolutely the right decision, and it led me to the work I love most today.”
SFT Schrifted Serif won Indigo Design gold in 2025 and was deeply inspired by Gonina’s time in Stockholm. “I wanted to capture the city’s character, its rational, structured side, but also its softer, romantic atmosphere. The challenge was to translate that essence into a serif typeface, especially since its companion, SFT Schrifted Sans, already reflected Stockholm’s minimal and modern spirit.” Gonina drew from details she noticed throughout the city, the organic teardrop shapes, round forms, and the play between clarity and warmth.
The award-winning typographical design carries the Indigo Design badge on every platform it’s presented. “For me, it’s not only the mark of recognition but a way to show clients and collaborators that the work has been acknowledged at an international level. It adds visibility and credibility, and I’m glad to highlight that achievement as part of my professional story,” Gonina says.
Gonina’s design approach starts with a general idea that gradually moves towards a specific goal. She starts by identifying the bigger picture and establishing context before focusing on details. “Once that framework is clear, I gradually refine it, working step by step down to the smallest elements. This way of thinking applies both to drawing typefaces and to any other design tasks I take on.”
When she’s not designing, Gonina enjoys traveling and immersing herself in different cultures, observing the visual environments different people live in, and learning about a place that way. “I also collect books,” she says. “That constantly inspires me. I run a side project on Instagram called @lettersearch, where I photograph and share historical inscriptions I come across. These pursuits keep me curious, observant, and inspired, feeding back into my design practice in unexpected ways.”
SFT Schrifted Serif