Charlotte Rohde's Heart-Dotted Typeface Oficía Mono Sparks a Sci-Fi Fintech Novel
Berlin-based type designer Charlotte Rohde has launched Oficía Mono, a new typeface marked by heart-dotted i's, which she treats as a character with a corporate identity. The design evolved from a 2022 Mercedes lettering job and draws on Antique Olive and Gill Sans; Rohde intends it to 'overwrite' the problematic Eric Gill. She collaborated with Tina Lehmkuhl to create a specimen that grew into a performance, installation, and live print event with fictional performance reviews. A companion typeface, Oficía Poly, is also out. Oficía now stars as hedge fund manager Oficía Greif in Rohde's forthcoming sci-fi fintech feminist novel about language as a financial asset.
Key facts
- Charlotte Rohde released a new typeface called Oficía Mono, featuring heart-dotted i's.
- The typeface draws on her MFA research at the Sandberg Instituut in Amsterdam.
- It originated from a lettering job for a Mercedes campaign in 2022.
- She collaborated with Tina Lehmkuhl on a specimen that became a performance, installation, and live print event.
- The typeface is informed by Antique Olive and Gill Sans, and Rohde seeks to overwrite Eric Gill's problematic legacy.
- A companion typeface, Oficía Poly, was also released.
- Oficía is the protagonist of Rohde's new sci-fi fintech feminist novel as the character Oficía Greif.
- The novel imagines a world where language is a financial asset, with words trademarked and traded.
Entities
Artists
- Charlotte Rohde
- Tina Lehmkuhl
- Eric Gill
- Ellis Tree
Institutions
- Sandberg Instituut
- Kanal-Centre Pompidou
- HKW
- Feeld
- Mercedes
- Solitype
- Kingston School of Art
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands