I was all set to opt for a classically inspired Humanist typeface as my December Font of the Month when Roch Modrezejewski’s variegated Gigafly flew right into the anti-glare windshield of my vintage desktop computer. I knew this would be my holiday present to you, dear reader. Which was confirmed for me by Modrezejewski’s own description that the high-contrast quality of blinkered letters “stand out from the crowd and gives it a unique type of cheerful elegance.” And yes, it does trigger some cognitive ping with every combination of Gigafly’s “Superfamily”.
In other words, the emotive power of the typeface is enhanced by almost any odd juxtaposition with the font’s alternate characters. As Modrezejewski, the designer, notes, his three families (Poster, Display and Headline) “share a basic DNA and work seamlessly together.”
The fusion of options, whichever weight or case is used, is at once quirky and elegant, engaging and readable. Take, for instance, one of my favorites among the “crazy alternative styles,” the uppercase Q. (I’ll try to describe it, but you really have to see it to feel the vibe.) It starts with a perfect light line circle with a bold bullseye in the middle – looking a bit like the label on an old LP record – from which out shoots a bold swoosh-tail that defines the letter Q. It is pure joy. I just wish there were more words I use with cap Qs.
Giga, suggesting an extreme number of units in the metric system, is an appropriate prefix for this massive number of variable letters. Although not all of them are as flashy as my favorite Q, there are definitely enough eccentric tics and optical permutations in the Gigafly sans serif families for designers to have a satisfying experience just randomly mixing and matching – basically collaging letters and words together.
The font was designed for large eyes and big spaces, but never rule out unexpected consequences. For me, it is a sublime reading sensation using Poster Demi Bold and Bold at 12 pt (and larger) as text — although not the intention, it works!
Whatever the preferred usage of Gigafly, it has the virtue of looking generally contemporary and singularly signatory. Like many typefaces designed in the past couple of years, Gigafly has logo-like letters that stand out as mnemonics—and that is a good thing.
| Font of the Month: Gigafly | |
|---|---|
| Designer: Roch Modrezejewski | Foundry: ROHH |
Steven Heller is nothing short of a legend in the design community. Award-winning graphic designer, author and editor of hundreds of books (yes, 100s!) and one of the world’s foremost authorities on graphic design history; and arguably its best design commentator. Follow Steven on the must-read The Daily Heller and read his latest book, Growing Up Underground: A Memoir of Counterculture New York.
