Rabab Charafeddine

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I planned on taking the workshop at TypeParis as a chance to get more acquainted with Latin type design as I had never designed a Latin typeface.

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So, I put my efforts and the knowledge I was absorbing into designing a text typeface. I was told that this is how we learn most, and indeed it was.

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I am a graphic designer that leans immensely towards print and publication. And out of all printed works I find the world of children’s book the most fascinating. And so I combined my love for books and the knowledge I was missing in a brief: design a text typeface for children’s books.

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I based myself on Baskerville, an old style typeface that was used most in books and novels and collected samples from the visit at the libraries. It is a very legible typeface in its proportions and spacing so i tried to keep that as much as possible. However, the counters have been enlarged to ensure legibility for the young audience.

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I found that its a brief that I’m partially able to achieve in 5 weeks and expand as much as I’d like after that. for example, I could include funky drop caps and lots of fun ornaments. Petra Dočekalová’s workshop and talk inspired me to later on perhaps include an upright connected version too.

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Learning and understanding the mechanisms of the Latin script helped me feel more confident about it. And after weeks of sketching on tracing paper, filling in letters then drawing bezier curves and moving points right and left, Pomme was formed.

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Pomme is a text typeface for children’s books. It includes 4 weights and an italic – regular, semibold, bold, extra bold. The extrabold is intended mainly for display use and titles.

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In order to be more appealing to young readers, Pomme can be paired with all kinds of illustrations and works well on both small and big text sizes.

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If Pomme was a person, it would be a teacher; approachable but assertive. The letterforms create a sturdy and orderly texture. The sharp details in the terminals are hidden in an overall of smooth curves. The mixed combination of sharp details and smooth letterforms creates a clear flow of reading and ensures legibility for these young readers.

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