Design by Massimiliano Audretsch

Design and proof assistance from Moritz Appich and Bruno Jacoby

Spacing and Kerning by Igino Marini

G2 Ciao emerged from eponymous type research exploring visual correlations between the spoken and the written word. The name is an acronym for Comprendere Istruzioni di Accentuazione vocale a Occhio nudo, which roughly translates to “perceiving intonation with your eyes.” Theoretical investigation, alongside experiments with changing letter shapes led to the development of the conceptual predecessor for todays typeface. G2 Ciao communicates auditive intonations of the spoken word. Hence it is not categorised by traditional font family means, the cuts are rather named after specific intonation properties, such as “silent”, “shrill”, “soft” and “swift”.    

The letter shapes of G2 Ciao are derived from an historical sketch by the American typographer, book and puppet designer William Addison Dwiggins. The sketch labeled “Modelled letter N°1, rendering drawing“ shows the original four letters t, a, i, and e. They consist of individual elements, precisely drawn outlines, connectedonly by hairlines. No repetitive pattern is recognizable. Each letter follows a self-contained principle. After contacting Bruce Kennett, he is currently administrating W. A. Dwiggins’ estate, we found out that the sketch is probably a technical draft for a typewriter head, not a font. It’s a guideline for finding a form and embodies the possibility to change. This possibility and the idea of design being the instruction for something else layed the foundation for the above mentioned experiments and form studies, altering the original sketched letters and eventually resulting in the retail typeface displayed on this website. 

“Dem elementaren Sprachklang entspricht die elementare Optik, dem akustischen Eigenwert der Sprache der formalen Eigenwert der Schrift.” (Kurt Schwitters, 1928)