Wildpark Bad Mergentheim

Wildpark Bad Mergentheim is a wildlife park in the Main-Tauber-Kreis, Germany. Since 2007, design agency ps:ag from nearby Lauda-Königshofen is in charge of the visual identity. The logo typeface is Maiandra. Designed by Dennis Pasternak and released by Galapagos in 1994,

the Maiandra family of typefaces was inspired by an early example of Oswald Cooper’s hand lettering as seen in an advertisement for a book on home furnishing, circa 1909. Although many of Oz Cooper’s letterform designs were cast in metal type, this particular one was not.

Cooper’s design itself was inspired by examples of letterforms he had admired in his study of Greek epigraphy (inscriptions). Cooper combined those ancient forms with the flair characteristic of design styles of his time. The result was an attractive design possessing subtle, purposeful irregularities, or ‘meanders,’ in his skilled brushwork.

In this application, Maiandra’s organic quality is a good match for the general theme – its W almost looks like antlers – and the park’s declared sustainable approach. The handmade impression of the letterforms is echoed in the sign posts made from untreated wood. If you look closely, you can spot a subtle intervention that further reduces straight lines and rectangularity: in “Wildpark”, the caps were made gradually smaller toward the middle of the word.

Maiandra is supported by Agendatype. This sturdy dynamic serif was designed by Natascha Dell and Kai Oetzbach and released on their Fontfarm label in 2006. The family comprises two weights in roman and italic, with additional Swash Italic styles as well as small caps.