Typeface Design for Modern Matter

600+ ligatures built into a single display face

A display typeface by François Rappo for Optimo, rooted in lettering by Swiss graphic designer Herbert Matter—most visibly on the 1987 book cover Giacometti. Rappo revived the project for the 2018 Giacometti exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, where it was used for signage and the exhibition catalogue. The original uppercase forms were reappraised and lowercase letters added, completing a contemporary character set. The design is characterised by tight proportions, a three-dimensional framing treatment, and a library of more than 600 ligatures.

Set in Modern Matter

Insights

Lowercases did not exist in the original; they were drawn during the 2018 revival to complete the character set.
The typeface ships with over 600 ligatures—far exceeding typical standard ligature sets—enabled via OpenType liga and dlig features.
Stylistic Set 1 (ss01) provides alternate forms for a defined subset of letters, allowing a secondary graphic register within one style.
Contextual Alternates (calt) automatically raises dashes positioned between uppercase letters or numerals, a refinement suited to the display context.