Oxalá

While I normally look for quality source material to revive or re-imagine, with Mazagan I took on the challenge to design a good typeface based on what I consider a poor one. Looking past the obvious oddities, quirks, and some questionable glyphs in ‘Marocaines’, discovered in Fonderie Mayeur’s 1912 specimen, I found some lowercase letterforms that—to me—looked outstanding. These characters became the inspiration for a unique contemporary display family in four weights. Besides serving as a surprising bold companion for certain Roman faces, Mazagan will add a touch of exoticism to book jackets, packaging and branding, editorial design, restaurant menus, wayfinding, and more.

The orginal Marocaines in the Fonderie Typographique Française's specimen.