Miriam Makeba – “Hauteng” French single cover
Contributed by Matthijs Sluiter
on Mar 27th, 2023. Artwork published in
.
French single cover for “Hauteng”, a song taken from Miriam “Mama Africa” Makeba’s twentieth record album A Promise (1974). Makeba’s name is set in New Zelek, released by Mecanorma in the same year as A Promise (this single cover was designed a year later, in 1975). The letter shapes consistently interlock, pausing for triangular gaps above the A and M. There was no need for the designer to make any effort here: they used the letter shapes ready-made as Zelek designed them. ITC Avant Garde Gothic was chosen for the track titles; the alternate right-leaning letterforms echo the design of Makeba’s name. Note that her first name here is spelled with Y, as it was often done in France.
