This typeface was my first attempt at type design. It was heavily inspired by hand-setting Garamond for letterpress projects. Although there are many digital versions of Garamond, I thought I would try to make one myself. I wanted to make a Garamond that was quirky and slightly irregular, the way lead type is after being used too much, but also modernize that look with extra features such as accents and ligatures. 

 

There is no better way to describe the process of making a typeface than the phrase “The devil is in the details.” Loving typography and typesetting (both hand setting and digital) is not enough to be an accomplished type designer. Apparently it takes practice, time, and focused attention to systematic details. I really enjoyed drawing each letterform, but making all the glyphs work together as a system, and especially setting the metrics, was a challenge. 

 

Although Maramond did not turn out to be the groundbreaking Garamond I had envisioned, the process of making it made me a much more aware and thoughtful typographer. Never have I spent so much time considering letterforms, spacing, and legibility. Because of this, it gave me a new appreciation for talented type designers and a renewed love of typesetting, which seems like a breeze in comparison to spacing a brandnew typeface.