AM Aosta
CAST · Stefano Baldassari, James D. Barranger · 2025
A digital revival of a pre-war Italian wood type from Xilografia di Verona, notable for its eccentric capitals that extend both above the cap height and below the baseline.
About
Originally issued as a wood type shortly before World War 2, AM Aosta is distinguished by capitals taller than the ascenders, with certain letters such as D, P and Z sitting below the baseline. Designers Stefano Baldassari and James D. Barranger refined the sometimes crude original construction, reduced the extreme proportions for usability and added three stylistic sets for underlined, overlined and double-lined letterforms, along with a connected caps system designed for display work. The result is a single-weight family with genuine historical grounding and a decorative range unusual in any geometric sans.
Classification
A monolinear geometric sans revival of a pre-war Italian wood type. The eccentric capital forms, with letters extending above and below conventional bounds, push it firmly into display territory despite the underlying geometric construction.