SANS (FR) 1628–1924 by Sébastien Morlighem

Published by Éditions Non Standard (and co-published with Ésad Amiens), the book SANS (FR) 1628–1924 is written and designed by Sébastien Morlighem. For the typography, Moulin is used in two weights: Regular for the French text, Medium for English.

The aim of the publication is to highlight the irrepressible rise, in France, between the time of the Enlightenment and the beginning of the 20th century, of a form, a thousand-faceted kind of writing, which is often taken for granted and flourishes in common existence. This form is the ‘Sans’, i. e. the letter without serif, or ‘sans-serif’. “Sans” means “without” in French: a preposition indicating what is missing, what is not or no more present.

Moulin, a work-in-progress type family by Sandrine Nugue, is an asymmetrical flared design influenced by classical lettering and Adrian Frutiger’s underappreciated Icone from 1980. The balance of black and white and tension between inner and outer forms give a sculptural rather than calligraphic character, resulting in a comfortable texture for text and an assertive personality at display sizes. The Regular roman and italic are available from the Commercial Type Vault.