Culture
Words by Michel Wlassikoff
Deberny et Peignot’s “Pharaon”, 1932
A modern French Slab-serif typeface for titling and advertising, aligned with the success of the foundry’s previous hit, Europe/Futura.
A modern French Slab-serif typeface for titling and advertising, aligned with the success of the foundry’s previous hit, Europe/Futura.
The Deberny et Peignot foundry published Pharaon, an Slab (“Egyptian”) intended for titling and advertising, in 1932. Divertissements typographiques nº5 is dedicated to it, and it is completed by Pharaon blanc, an “open” character existing only in initials. The Deberny and Peignot foundry highlights the novelty of this new type: “the only modern Slab of French creation”. It associates it with Europe/Futura, indicating: “We designed it with three weights, the success of Europe having verified the excellence of this formula…” Europe having been the subject of the previous Divertissement Typographiques. With this initiative, Deberny and Peignot align themselves with the German foundries which, based on the geometric shapes and low-contrast of antiques like Futura or Elegant, designed Slab-serif faces which achieved notable success: Beton or Memphis.
Document: Archives Signes
