About this template
The Bold Type template is a poster-letter built around an oversized 80pt Tiempos headline that fills the upper third. Body in compact Inter, single accent colour in saffron — the typography itself becomes the visual identity, no ornament needed. The headline acts as an argument: it carries the value proposition in two or three words before the recipient reads the body.
Who is it for?
It suits candidates in independent magazines (The Drift, Drift Magazine, Cabinet, n+1, Apartamento), type foundries (Klim Type Foundry, Commercial Type, Pangram Pangram, OH no Type Co), branding studios (Pentagram, Sagmeister & Walsh legacy, Order), contemporary publishing houses (Mack Books, MIT Press, Phaidon) and editorial media. Editorial designers, type designers, creative writers and brand-voice strategists comfortable letting one word do most of the visual work — skip it for sectors that expect understatement (finance, civil service).
How to use it
The Tiempos headline must hold in three words maximum ('Senior Editorial Designer', 'Brand-Voice Strategist', 'Magazine Art Direction'). Beyond that, the poster loses force. The saffron must remain a unique accent: a single word of the body can be in saffron to echo the headline, never a full sentence. For type-foundry applications, demonstrate your culture with a reference to a recent typeface from the catalogue ('the new italic of Tiempos Headline finally resolves the ct ligature problem') — it is the inner code of the trade. For contemporary publishers, mention two books from the catalogue you have read. The 'type designer cover letter Klim Tiempos' niche search is small but extremely targeted.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 80pt headline really legible in a letter?
Yes provided it holds on a single line. An 80pt headline that wraps to two lines becomes unreadable. Count about 12-15 characters maximum for Tiempos 80pt on standard letter or A4. If your headline overflows, reduce to 60-65pt and shorten to three words. The visual signature is in scale, not in length.
Should I name the typeface inside the letter?
For applications at a type foundry or senior editorial design role, yes — mentioning 'headline set in Tiempos Headline 80pt by Klim Type Foundry' signals the precision of your culture. For broader applications (mainstream magazine, mass publisher), it is superfluous. Quick rule: if the recipient recognises Tiempos by eye, name it. Otherwise, save the line for content.
Is the saffron accent colour negotiable for a target brand?
It is the template's chromatic signature — it distinguishes this letter from other typographic affirmations. Replacing it with pure black cancels the poster effect. If you apply to a brand with a strong colour charter (Hermès orange, Tiffany cyan), discreetly aligning the accent can signal respect for the brief — but keep the saturation and the placement in the composition.
