Released to coincide with the launch of the SangBleu typeface in 2017, type foundry Swiss Typefaces published this beautifully designed and produced volume for lovers of the printed letterform.

SangBleu Typeface celebrates cutting-edge typography in general and the SangBleu family of fonts in particular. Striving to exceed ordinary ideas of what a type specimen can be, this volume is devised to be a collector's item, providing a unique marriage in terms of design, production, and content; at the heart of the publication is a novella by Daniela Party, specifically written for this release. Set in the 17th century, an era of absolutism and superstition, of colonialism and slavery, “The King, His Court, The Explorer & The Gift” narrates the story of Meztli, an indigenous Mexican woman with extrasensory powers. Captured by French explorer Robert de La Salle, she is sent across the Atlantic as a gift to Louis XIV, the Sun King.

The title page presents the names of the five collections that form the SangBleu typeface: Empire, Kingdom, Republic, Versailles, Sunrise. Each family is displayed on a spread of 20 pages, in a layout that was freely inspired by a type specimen for Caslon Old Face from 1924. The sample pages emulate all kinds of text types, from novels and magazines to drama and poetry, in sizes big and small. Some pages feature large headlines or block quotes in italics. Others show off spectacular drop caps and strongly contrasting sizes or weights.

Concept, art direction and design by Swiss Typefaces, with illustrations by Daniela Party

Published by SWTY Publishing, 2017
Printed in a limited edition of 1,000 copies

Softcover with colored top edge and several fold-out pages, 128 pages, 5-color printing, 12.5 × 8.5 inches

ISBN: 978-2-8399-2223-4