Carolinéale is a typeface family whose design I started at the end of 2014, when I integrated the Atelier National de Recherche Typographique, in Nancy (FR). I had then the project to work on a typographic version of Carolingian musical notations. The alphabetical typeface associated with this work has evolved since then. Thanks to the support of the Centre National des Arts Plastiques (FR) and the sharp eye of Alejandro Lo Celso, I was able to create a complete typeface family. On the occasion of its publication by PampaType, I would like to come back to the principles that guided the design of its forms.  Read

This typeface is named after the astonishing guitar player and singer Atahualpa Yupanqui, a central figure to Argentine folk music. ‘Don Ata’, as he was called, was a wise poet with a particularly sensitive view of the elements of nature as well as of the human condition, all of which he turned into compelling lyrics and magic songs. For years I dreamed about designing a typeface in his name. I imagined a firm, rough voice, though interpreted with delicate curves and a feel of warmth. After a few years of occasional sketching finally a spirit aroused in 2014. The initially vague forms turned into precise letterforms and with time into a family of fonts. Now the type Atahualpa finally sees the light. I’m happy. Here I invite you to unveil all the secrets behind the scene, discover the clues of the inspiration and the design process, and enjoy some footnotes from our design kitchen.  Read