Fontstand

The typeface ‘Izocel’ started with a few letters designed for the cover of ‘O Mensch!’, a limited edition boxed portfolio. The sheets of music inside the box constitute a facsimile of composer Pascal Dusapin’s original handwritten score for a Lieder cycle based on poems of Friedrich Nietzsche. For the title page, Apeloig created a typeface which reflects the music’s mysterious, visceral mood. The cover page pronounces ‘O Mensch!’. The two words are composed of letterforms mixing thin lines with solid triangular shapes. These are unaligned and move above and below the top- and baselines. Like musical notes or sounds, they move rhythmically up and down. Izocel’s design creates a challenging aesthetic which defies legibility.