Typeface System for Grand Paris Express

Designed before the stations existed, deployed a decade later during the Olympics

Typotheque was commissioned in 2014 to design a bespoke typeface system for Grand Paris Express, a network of 68 new suburban metro stations connecting residential and business districts of greater Paris without routing through the city centre. The family includes condensed variants for Île-de-France Mobilités and pixel-based fonts for LED screens on buses and bus stops. The first two stations opened during the Paris 2024 Olympics; full implementation extends to the 2030s. The network is projected to carry nearly three million passengers daily.

Set in Grand Paris Express

Insights

Work began in 2014 before any stations were built, requiring the type system to anticipate unknown spatial conditions across a multi-decade rollout.
The initial concept proposed an interrelated system where each of the 68 stations would receive a subtly distinct variant of the typeface.
Deliverables spanned three distinct output contexts: wayfinding signage, condensed forms for Île-de-France Mobilités, and pixel-based fonts for LED screens on buses and bus stops.