A Latin type family inspired
by Sainte-Chapelle's architecture

DIPLOMA PROJECT • 2023

PROJECT CATEGORY
Type Design

SCHOOL
TypeParis Summer23

DURATION
6 weeks

Chapelle is a display type family inspired by the 13th Century Rayonnant Gothic architecture and history of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, designed within 6 weeks during TypeParis ’23. It is a contemporary, personal expression of the deep sense of tranquility that was instilled when I experienced this space for the very first time.

The type family comes in 3 variants – a vertical stress and a reverse stress, with a semi-reverse low contrast interpolated variation in the middle. A condensed version of the regular is also tailored for Headings & Display to fully encapsulate the essence of Sainte-Chapelle’s architecture.

This typeface was designed under the guidance of Jean François Porchez, Mathieu Reuger, Julie Soudanne, Marc Roualt, Malou Verlomme, and Gina Serret. Guest Critics: Sandrine Nugue, Bas Jacobs, Dino Santos, and Franziska Weitgruber.

Inspiration

I visited Sainte-Chapelle just a day before the Summer23 commenced.
I was charmed by the soaring ceilings, the solemn silence, and the light flooding in hues of golden, red, and purple through the ornate stained glass narrating biblical tales.

Its architecture mesmerized me at first sight, but while working on the typeface, its history also intrigued me eventually – it was built as a reliquary for the Crown of Thorns. Being a person of faith, its historic symbolism helped me shape the project into something conceptually rich by the end of the programme.

Sainte-Chapelle is located near Palais de Justice
in the 1st arondissment of Paris.
Exterior (left) & upper level interiors (right)

Process snippets

The letterforms are sculpted by combining Rustica and Rotunda calligraphic styles – the thin strokes of Rustica accentuate the sense of height and delicate ornateness, and the round proportions of Rotunda resonate with the feeling of light, peace, and tranquility.

Below are the sketches of a condensed version of the regular, tailored
for Headings & Display to fully encapsulate the essence of Sainte-Chapelle’s architecture.