Typeface Design for Media77
A phototypesetting-era text face redrawn by its original designers four decades on
In 1974, Bobst Graphic commissioned André Gürtler, Christian Mengelt, and Erich Gschwind—operating as Team'77—to design a text typeface built around the technical constraints of phototypesetting. The typeface was released by Bobst Graphic in 1977 and immediately featured in Typographische Monatsblätter (issue 8/9). Decades later, original team members Mengelt and Gschwind retraced the drawings to produce Media77, the digitalized revival. The family is issued by Optimo in upright and italic styles across regular and condensed widths.
Set in Media77
Insights
- Team'77 intentionally avoided historical type classifications, aiming for a contemporary design rather than a revival of an existing model.
- The digital redrawing was carried out by original designers Mengelt and Gschwind, preserving firsthand knowledge of the design intent.
- Team'77 received the Swiss Grand Award for Design in 2015, with Media cited among the body of work recognised.
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