Matamata Font

MATAMATA

A Neo-Grotesque / square sans serif typeface.

Process
Matamata’s glyph shapes are drawn from the roading network in the provincial town of Matamata. The relative height of the ascenders / descenders is a reflection on the long run of State Highway 27 towards Waharoa. Counters are a reference to the rounded circle shape in the State Highway 27, Firth Street roundabout. As the place of my birth Matamata holds some emotional significance, but rather it is later periods of my childhood which are referenced in characters such as the ‘$’ with its internal terminals.

Contrast is very low, x height is high, diacritics are playful.

Matamata is a reflection of a passing through, skimming a surface. It is only with closer examination that details are revealed.