Industry: Design

Typeface Design for Asphalt

A heavy branch from the Cafeteria tree

Asphalt is a display typeface developed by Tobias Frere-Jones as a tangent from his Cafeteria family, drawing on the heavy weight and playful animation of Roger Excoffon's Antique Olive Nord. It is intended strictly for large sizes.

Set in Asphalt

Insights

Asphalt originated as a tangent from Cafeteria, suggesting the two families share structural roots but diverge in weight and tone.
Roger Excoffon's Antique Olive Nord is cited as a direct reference for both weight and playful animation.
The typeface is explicitly scoped to large display sizes.