Oscar&Andrée is an online press platform dedicated to design and architecture. When the Paris-based studio deValence was commissioned to art direct the project, we developed a custom type family for the magazine’s app—designed from the outset to perform natively on screen while asserting a strong editorial voice.
The family is built in two complementary counterparts: Oscar is the standard version (in roman and italic), which is derived from the logotype we created. Andrée is its stencil twin, developed specifically for display use. Together, they form a distinctive typographic system that articulates hierarchy and tone across platforms.
Formally, Oscar is a sturdy serif with a pronounced display character. Its construction reveals a vivid calligraphic ancestry: modulation is tangible, strokes retain a sense of gesture, and the rhythm of the text carries a subtle tension between structure and movement. At the same time, the design fully embraces its digital destination. Proportions, spacing, and detailing were carefully calibrated for screen rendering, ensuring clarity and personality at various sizes and resolutions.
The capitals are particularly emblematic—bold in silhouette, unmistakable in presence—anchoring headlines with confidence. In Andrée, the stencil cuts sharpen this identity, introducing a graphic interruption that amplifies impact in titling and large-scale compositions.
In deliberate contrast to the substantial weight of the main strokes, accents and punctuation marks are drawn remarkably fine. This tension between mass and delicacy reinforces the typeface’s singular character, lending the editorial system both authority and refinement.
Oscar&Andrée ultimately embodies a dialogue between heritage and contemporaneity: a serif rooted in calligraphic tradition, purpose-built for the expressive demands of digital publishing.
