Variable Display Typeface for Milan-Inspired Lettering
Milanese vernacular lettering as a variable font
Monte Stella is a constructed, modular display sans-serif designed by Riccardo De Franceschi at Dalton Maag between 2020 and 2021. Drawn from the vernacular lettering of Milan, it combines intentional naivety with deliberate imperfection. The family is a variable font with Weight and Slant axes, the latter extending to an extreme 'Turbo Italic' for added impact. Latin script support covers over 790 languages.
Set in Monte Stella
Insights
- The typeface is explicitly modular and constructed, linking formal system-building to a vernacular aesthetic source from Milan.
- A dedicated 'Turbo Italic' pushes the Slant axis to an extreme, treating slant as an expressive tool rather than a conventional text feature.
- OpenType features include an alternate colon, alternate g, alternate zero, and case-sensitive forms, supporting typographic flexibility within a display context.
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