Between 2018 and 2020, Nouvelle étiquette, a French graphic design studio, and the PampaType foundry co-designed a set of bespoke typefaces for the visual identity and signage system of the Saint-Étienne of Metz Cathedral, one of the most significant Gothic cathedrals in Europe.

The celebration of the 800th anniversary of this cathedral, which boasts the largest area of stained glass windows among European cathedrals (including Marc Chagall’s famous vitraux), led to a public tender in France that was awarded to Nouvelle étiquette, which was submitted along with PampaType, invited to co-design the typefaces.

The custom typefaces designed for the information and signage systems are as follows.

Cathédrale Lumière is an uppercase typeface conceived for use on the spiritual tour phrases inside the building, which are projected with light on the cathedral walls by gobo projectors specially installed on site. In terms of style, the Lumière type is an attempt to integrate the incredible richness of medieval scriptural traditions in a (shall we say) generous way.

Cathédrale Métal, the accompanying text type, was designed to set the information texts engraved on the steel panels installed throughout the building. This set includes three weights (Régulier, Gras, Noire) in roman & cursive styles. Their anatomy discreetly evokes the density and texture of text in Gothic script, i.e., somewhat compact, slightly angular in shape and with short ascenders & descenders that make it possible to reduce the interlinear space.

Finally, the medieval theatrical characters, monsters and chimeras that appear in the sculpted decoration throughout the building inspired a third style: Cathédrale Enluminée, a set of carefully hand-drawn illuminated letters to be used as initials in publications and on special occasions.

Art direction: Nouvelle étiquette (Metz, FR). Design & scenography: Generique design (Montreal) and Nouvelle étiquette. Light design: Quartiers Lumières (Toulouse, FR) and Nouvelle étiquette. Steel engraving & gilding: Malinvaud (Limoges, FR). Typeface design by Francis Ramel, Julie Luzoir (Strasbourg, FR) and Alejandro Lo Celso (Córdoba, AR).

Read the full case study on the Pampa Type website.

From design studio Neumeister:

Swedish and English botanical traditions meet the honest printing methods from the turn of the century before last. This is how the labels for Floral and Peel are carefully crafted. Layer upon layer. The result? The finishing touch for the very finest botanical beers and ales. Each as authentic on the outside as they are on the inside.

Alias Harbour is used for title type.

Founded in 2018, Shikoba Therapies combines the therapeutic power of essential oils, herbs and gemstones with reflexology techniques and energy principles to nurture your physical and spiritual well-being.

Studio Work worked closely with Shikoba Therapies to create a strategy that represented their ethos. With wellness and beauty in mind, we aimed to create an identity to attract the eye of individuals who practice self-care, ritual, and natural therapies. With a niche product and audience who practice wellness daily, it was important to look closely at where else this demographic shops and what they are attracted to. This trail of research led to us exploring outcomes, with a final execution of two typefaces, Romana for its distinctive cuts and Sporting Grotesque for its attitude and minimalist design. Art direction followed for all photographic shoots, using natural environments and candid poses of the products being used in daily life. To tie everything in primary brand colours of black and ivory deliver an effortlessly elegant aesthetic.

Product photography: Stitch Productions.

Wild Grace is a skincare products line inspired by Ayurveda – a general wellness medicine system with roots in the Indian subcontinent, that focuses on the mind, body and spirit balance.

The visual identity finds its roots in ancient and mystical practices – a balanced typographic play on sophisticated imperfection, modern and gestural properties, unusual and organic rhythm, and an old world personality. The minimal approach to the packaging line reflects the founders’ vision – to develop a refined, almost exclusive eco-luxe product that merges method, tradition and precision with humanity and ritual.

The typeface choices revolved around this vision. Mabry, the modern grotesque with gestural properties illustrates method and precision, Schnyder’s organic features, almost lettering-like, illustrate humanity, and Nicolas Cochin brings in the old world ritual ingredient.

Client: Wild Grace
Visual identity: AWP
Photo direction: Mariane Vaillancourt
Illustration: Mireille St-Pierre