Catarina Soares Barbosa

Relembrar (to remember/to evoke) is a typeface inspired by an 1830s Portuguese dictionary that the Nacional Press printed. Although the original font is almost a modern typeface, quite mechanical and structured, it also leaves space for odd terminals or proportions, which offers a space for humanism and uniqueness.

Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press was vital for the democratization of knowledge; it enabled books and documents to be fabricated faster and more cheaply, which led to more people starting to have access to information. Truth must be said: it was not in the 15th century that most people had access to it, but it was the beginning of something. Even today, with the internet, the democratization of knowledge is incomplete. That’s why I chose the typeface of a dictionary that contributed, together with other books, to the alphabetisation of the people.

In a world full of fake news and social media algorithms tearing people even more apart, while designing this font, the idea of sharing and spreading knowledge was always there. Thus, it was also thought to be used in informational flyers and other supports.

Relembrar is not a call to romanticize a “glorious past” present in the far-right speech but rather to look to the past and learn from it to build a better future. That is the reasoning behind the creation of Relembrar: looking to the past (original typeface) to learn from it and grow into a present (Relembrar family) to imagine a meaningful and revolutionary Future.

This year, in Portugal, we celebrated 50 years of freedom, although several people seem to forget what this meant and how much conquering our freedom has cost. The far-right is growing, and some are invoking a colonial past and the time when freedom of speech was not present in Portugal, as well as calling for the return of a dictatorship. “Relembrar” comes from that same desire of not forgetting, as well as the importance of celebrating our freedom and raising the carnations so the fascists won’t return.

In the last legislative elections in Portugal, in which, unfortunately, the far-right grew a lot, I noticed something odd: all the parties, from the left to the far-right, had the same kind of typeface in their propaganda: condensed sans serif, mainly using uppercase. I know that the typefaces with serifs usually are more associated with the right, as they are seen as more conservative. However, “Relembrar Abril” attempts to create a serif typeface that left collectives could use in posters and other communication. It is still condensed so that it can fit better in posters. It has started to be bold, low-contrast, with a high x-height, so it would be strong and fill the space. However, to improve legibility, a high contrast feature was included in some letters, increasing the contrast between curves and sharp endings that exist in the Roman version. This way, it was possible to create a strong, bold, condensed font with serifs that embraces the past without being conservative.