Rodrigo Saiani is the force behind Plau and so it’s no surprise that this first batch of type released on Type Network was all designed by him. Since the studio and foundry’s launch in 2013, it has grown in numbers, including awards, exhibited projects, and collaborators.
“Standing on the shoulders of (living) giants. That’s the feeling,” Saiani says about joining Type Network, adding that it is great to learn from the team and other foundry partners with different aspects of the type industry and that he hopes to contribute with his unique background that was based in business, not traditional type design.
The first Plau batch is fresh out of the oven at Type Network.
While attending business school, Saiani would doodle letters as side notes. It didn’t take long for the creative side to take over. The goal of the foundry he founded is “make type pop”, both by designing type that reaches a broad audience and making it part of everyday conversations. Type education is an important part of the plan. Saiani teaches workshops in Brazil and serves as the graphic design academic coordinator at Miami Ad School Brazil.
How do you prefer the weight of a Didone typeface? Tenez ranges from Thin to Black, with matching italics. The alternates for R and Q are special treats.
Tenez is the result of developing a custom logo into an entire family; its structure is derived from pointed pen calligraphy with the aim of remaining very organic. The range of weights is particularly interesting, especially the Thin, where the weight distribution around its shape almost gives it a typewriter feel. Although the elegant forms are meant for use at display sizes, the character set includes multiple figure styles.
Manteiga is packed with ligatures; alternate shapes for a, g, Q, &, and tilde; and a playful set of symbols.
Manteiga, “butter” in Portuguese, is a heart-melting typeface based on brush-lettering. Playing with the contrast between positive and negative shapes, its big personality shines through in every detail, especially when used at large sizes. All caps settings are certainly yummy, but if you prefer a softer, quirky voice, add the lowercase to the mix.
Motiva Sans is a workhorse family with 14 styles designed to work well in text, though the extreme weights are meant for display settings. Although it was envisioned as a typeface with a timeless quality, it still has a special flavor from Saiani’s unique point of view. As he describes it: “Letters like the ‘a’ make Motiva feel like it's smiling softly at the reader, a feature that was very much intended from the start.” The Italics are almost cursive, for contrast with the Romans, and adds alternate characters. The family also includes a set of emojis. Try pairing it with Tenez.
The right amount of salt in Motiva Sans leaves room for extra pepper in its italics, which include alternate forms to adjust flavor.
“I’m very happy to see Plau joining Type Network and proudly representing the Brazilian type scene. Along with producing great typefaces for retail and making clients incredibly happy with their custom work, Rodrigo is also contributing to the community by mentoring a very strong team. Talented designers have contributed to the growth of the studio and foundry library. I’m excited to see even more of their typefaces released here soon.” says Type Network’s Marina Chaccur.
Ready to take a bite and put these typefaces to use in tasty layouts?
All Plau fonts can be licensed 24/7—for print, web, mobile apps, and ePubs. Webfonts may be tested for thirty days and desktop trials are available upon request. Have a licensing question? Get in touch. To stay current on all things Plau and Type Network, subscribe to Type Network News, our occasional newsletter featuring releases, foundry happenings, type and design events, and more.
