Ficus is a type design project whose output is
a typeface family of 7 weights dedicated to the growing process
of the Figueira Mata-Pau tree, in the brazilian Pantanal.
It's been selected as one of the top 500 graphic design
(and top 24 type design related) projects between 2015 and 2016 in Brazil.
a typeface family of 7 weights dedicated to the growing process
of the Figueira Mata-Pau tree, in the brazilian Pantanal.
It's been selected as one of the top 500 graphic design
(and top 24 type design related) projects between 2015 and 2016 in Brazil.
The process is the following: basically, the Figueira Mata-Pau (Ficus Clusiifolia)
starts growing in another tree's trunk, after an animal leaves its seed.
And it slowly grows without any harm. Until its roots, that were growing
in the air, reach the soil and the plant begins a long embrace to the initial
tree trunk. After some time, the first tree dies, and becomes only
a support to the Figueira. A support that eventually disappears, rotting out,
and leaves behind a peculiar structure with a gap inside. This structure
is a great home to several animals, and so the cycle is completed.
starts growing in another tree's trunk, after an animal leaves its seed.
And it slowly grows without any harm. Until its roots, that were growing
in the air, reach the soil and the plant begins a long embrace to the initial
tree trunk. After some time, the first tree dies, and becomes only
a support to the Figueira. A support that eventually disappears, rotting out,
and leaves behind a peculiar structure with a gap inside. This structure
is a great home to several animals, and so the cycle is completed.
Each weight of the Ficus typeface represents stages of this growing plant,
as it gets bolder, gains inverted contrast, becomes stranger, more complex and unusual.
The stages are finally done when it gets to an Inline weight, that represents
the gap that first tree leaves after rotting inside the Figueira.
as it gets bolder, gains inverted contrast, becomes stranger, more complex and unusual.
The stages are finally done when it gets to an Inline weight, that represents
the gap that first tree leaves after rotting inside the Figueira.
A comparasing between the plant and the typeface makes the design inspiration more clear to every stage of the process.
Some key charaters that has a lot of transformations through the weights (including the contrast, cuts in the endings, counterforms, curves, width, the form of diacritics, and even the thorns that show up).
The complete character set of Ficus has 215 glyphs on each weight, including one set of numbers (lining figures), math signs, punctuation, diacritics for spanish and portuguese, some ligatures (ff, fi, fl, œ and Œ) and one fleuron.
The fleuron had a special part in this project, because it's originally inspired by an european plant, and in this font, it also inspired by a brazilian one – the Figueira Mata-Pau.
As a graduation project, it also had an extensive research and the book
with the full texts about the project was entirely composed and printed using Ficus.
with the full texts about the project was entirely composed and printed using Ficus.
In a final stage of this project, I created 3 posters on my own, and asked friends
designers to do the same, and give their interpretations of the font's possibilities too.
designers to do the same, and give their interpretations of the font's possibilities too.
1st poster designed by me
Other posters designed by me
Posters designed by Crystian Cruz and Vitor Inoue
Posters designed by Mariana Louro and Shingo Sato
Posters designed by Rodolfo França and Amanda Louisi
Posters designed by Nelson Urssi and Renan Quevedo
