A. Coupé
Nouvelle Noire · Philippe Apeloig · 2013
Originally drawn by Philippe Apeloig for a Ralph Lauren car exhibition poster, this ten-weight display face uses clean geometric cuts to play with symmetry within each letterform.
About
Designed by Philippe Apeloig for a poster promoting Ralph Lauren's vintage car collection at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, the typeface draws on the streamlined engineering of classic automobiles. Each letterform is interrupted by precise cuts that introduce a tension between mechanical rigidity and aesthetic elegance, disrupting symmetry to give each character its own character. First released as a single weight in 2013, the family expanded in 2018 to ten numbered weights and received a German Design Award.
Classification
A highly stylised display face with geometric cuts interrupting letterforms, designed for poster use. Its mechanical aesthetic and deliberate disruptions of symmetry place it firmly in the display category with geometric underpinnings.