TDCMatthew Carter
NUMBERS DESIGN BY
AWARD
1993
Non-TDC Members Division : Gold Prize
Matthew Carter

Sophia

Matthew Carter|Sophia
Matthew Carter|Sophia

Sophia

Sophia was inspired by letters cut and written during the century or two that followed the fall of Rome. Classical orthodoxy came under the influence of foreign cultures; the alphabet, in flux, mixed Greek and uncial with its Roman forms. This period strikes me as rather like our own – cosmopolitan, receptive, diverse. I hope Sophia is a child of its times; it mixed traditional letterforms with others less conventional, and offers alternative versions of some. It was designed to be of no one culture, but at home in all.

Matthew Carter

Matthew Carter, a type designer, has experienced typographic technologies from hand-cut punches to computer fonts. After long associations with Linotype and Bitstream he started a new company two years ago in partnership with Cherie Cone. Carter & Cone Type Inc., in Cambridge, Massachusetts, produces typefaces for general sale (such as Sophia), and custom design to order.