A. Izocel
Nouvelle Noire · Philippe Apeloig · 2013
An experimental display typeface by Philippe Apeloig, originally drawn for a limited-edition facsimile score by composer Pascal Dusapin, combining thin strokes with solid triangular shapes that drift above and below the baseline.
About
Conceived for the cover of 'O Mensch!', a boxed portfolio containing a facsimile of Dusapin's handwritten Lieder score based on Nietzsche's poems, Apeloig built letterforms that deliberately court illegibility. Thin lines and solid triangular shapes shift rhythmically above and below the conventional top- and baselines, evoking the movement of musical notation. The typeface won a German Design Award, and its release through Nouvelle Noire marks it as a rare case of a commission-born design entering the commercial catalogue.
Classification
An entirely custom, expressive typeface that prioritises aesthetic and mood over legibility, built from thin lines and solid triangular shapes with deliberate misalignment above and below the baseline. Its origins in a single album cover commission place it firmly in the display category with no conventional subcategory applying.