Peignot (typeface)

Peignot (pronounced Pen-yoe) is a constructed sans-serif display typeface, designed by A. M. Cassandre in 1937. It was commissioned by the French foundry Deberny & Peignot. The typeface is notable for not having a traditional lowercase, but in its place a "multi-case" combining traditional lowercase and small capital characters. The typeface achieved some popularity in poster and advertising publishing from its release through the late 1940s. Use of Peignot declined with the growth of the International Typographic Style, which favored less decorative, more objective, traditional typefaces such as Akzidenz-Grotesk.

Contents

• Peignot typeface
• Usage
• References

Peignot experienced a revival in the 1970s as the typeface used on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (and its production company, MTM Enterprises) and the second season of That's My Mama. While often classified as "decorative", the face is a serious exploration of typographic form and legibility. It is now owned by Linotype Corp. and is distributed both by Linotype and by Adobe.

A font resembling Peignot was used for the Intellivision video game system. Derek Vogelpohl distributes a digital version of that font as freeware under the name SF Intellivised.