Michaux
Plain Form · Benjamin Dumond · 2024
A three-weight display typeface by Benjamin Dumond, whose letterforms were selected from ten thousand computer-generated random signs, drawing on the gestural mark-making of Belgian artist Henri Michaux.
About
Designer Benjamin Dumond began by generating ten thousand random three-stroke signs using code, then hand-selected those that resembled letters, making the outcome contingent on his own subjective judgement. The result is a family of roughly 560 glyphs per style that recalls asemic writing and abstract expressionism while remaining functional across extended Latin including Vietnamese. Three weights, Light through Bold, are available as OTF, WOFF and WOFF2, with OpenType support for oldstyle figures and fractions.
Classification
Michaux sits in the display category as its letterforms were selected from ten thousand computer-generated random signs, producing a wildly unconventional alphabet that prioritises expressive character over legibility at running text sizes. It resembles dynamic handwritten or gestural marks rather than any conventional serif or sans classification.