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A2/SW/HK's custom headline font for Wallpaper*

Magazine / Newspaper, Type / Typography

Posted by Gavin Lucas, 23 May 2011, 10:55    Permalink    Comments (15)

Wallpaper* magazine's editorial staff went to India to create content for their new Reborn In India June issue. To help give the magazine a special Indian flavour, a new bespoke headline font was created by Geetika Alok in collaboration with A2/SW/HK. Here's a closer look at the resulting typeface...

"We developed and presented a series of typefaces and sketches before one direction was chosen by the client," explains A2's Henrik Kubel of the design process. "Our design is inspired by Kolam [an artform widely practiced by Hindus in southern India in which geometric patterns are created by drawing lines and loops around a grid of dots] and was originated by hand before finishing everything in FontLab," Kubel continues. " We designed the font in two styles, an outline and a solid version allowing the user to create a third option by layering the two. The typeface comes with a large character set supporting most languages, in Caps only. We hope to make A2 India and A2 India Solid available commercially from a2-type.co.uk in autumn 2011."

Design: Geetika Alok and Henrik Kubel, A2/SW/HK


Like this story? Subscribers can check out our feature on Mumbai's typographic taxis. CR even went to the trouble of having our own taxi created. View a video of the process here.

15 Comments

Love it!
James
2011-05-23 11:35:49

That typeface is a stone cold stunner
jmeel allen
2011-05-23 11:54:16

Really nice
Jonny
2011-05-23 12:00:46

love it more :)
pooja
2011-05-23 12:11:24

Really like it. But, it's such a shame it's so small and insignificant on the front cover. The spreads look great, the cover lets it down
Ian C
2011-05-23 12:31:51

Fabulous. Can't wait to get the issue
stefanie
2011-05-23 13:22:16

That is very, very nice.
James Nelson
2011-05-23 13:49:44

Geetika's work is terrific!
Paul Forbes
2011-05-23 13:56:42

beautiful! would have liked to have seen it more prominent on the cover too :)
ft
2011-05-23 14:11:28

Agree with Ian.
Indisch
2011-05-23 14:14:21

Winner.
andyjohno
2011-05-23 17:06:06

I love it that Wallpaper travels to all these amazing places, and then base their entire issue on it. Do you guys still remember their Born in Brazil issue. That one was great too. http://creativeroots.org/?p=8269
Rod
2011-05-23 17:30:49

The font doesn't strike one as having an instant Indian flavour to it...not to say that it's not very charming, of course. There's a very tenuous link to Kolam, and I doubt that it will be of any use to man nor beast at a smaller point size, thus limiting its use, natch.

I'll be reading Wallpaper from cover to cover, green with envy, of all the staffers who schlepped out to the dear old sub-continent for a bit of a corporate jolly.

By the by, adlib is thinking of working from St Trop' if anyone would like to stump up the cash.
Curator
2011-05-23 19:51:46

all been a fan of the paper!
Graphic Design Manchester
2011-05-25 18:07:04

I need to get a copy of this. Looks fantastic.
KJ
2011-05-26 18:07:01

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