Paris-based graphic designer and art director Gwennina Moigne has launched Solæ, an innovative typeface that draws inspiration from celestial themes including stars, constellations, and cosmic forms. The letterforms feature curves that suggest planetary movements, ligatures that recall shooting-star trails, and fine contrasts that evoke constellations, creating a unique visual language rooted in astrological symbolism.
The concept for Solæ originated during a typographic revival assignment in Moigne's master's program in 2018. The project challenged students to reimagine historical text from a 1904 book titled "Imprimerie Nationale" as fertile ground for contemporary design. Moigne found herself drawn back to this unfinished project two years after graduating in 2020, during the first wave of COVID-19 lockdowns.
"Over several years, I experimented with different versions, exploring how far I could move away from the original model while keeping its spirit," Moigne explains. "I wanted to reinterpret it through a more personal, expressive lens." The designer spent considerable time hand-redrawing each letterform from her source typeface to understand its inner workings, moving away from the rigid grid system of the original Romain du Roi to create something more fluid and visually balanced for modern contexts.
The typeface makes reference to Louis XIV, the Sun King, with its name Solæ reflecting this solar connection. Moigne developed both standard and "Rotalic" styles – a rotated italic version that evokes the paths of celestial orbits as an alternative to traditional italic typefaces. The extensive ligature work became a defining feature of the alphabet, with ligatures existing for every combination of capital letters.
The final Solæ family encompasses around 100 languages and includes an impressive 2,082 glyphs, featuring a wide range of ligatures, alternates, inclusive-writing glyphs, astrological symbols, and lunar phases. This comprehensive approach required thousands of detailed design decisions throughout the development process. Moigne found that maintaining consistency and confidence during the lengthy solo project proved to be the most challenging aspect.
"Like many personal projects, Solæ happened alongside freelance work and other commitments, so progress was slow, sometimes with months between sessions," Moigne shares. "Each time I reopened the file, I questioned past choices, which forced me to trust my earlier decisions and accept the design's evolution over time."
To celebrate the completion of her multi-year project, Moigne partnered with Blaze Type to launch the font with a collaborative poster series. She invited twelve designers and studios whose work she admires, giving each complete creative freedom to create a poster using Solæ and a zodiac sign of their choice. The collaborators included Fakepaper, Élise Rigollet, Clémence Gouy, Eschenlauer Sinic, Odds Studio, Choque Le Goff, Pierre Vanni, République Studio, Task Office, Aletheia, Marine Buffard, and Maison Solide.
The resulting posters showcase an explosion of color and form that highlights the attention to detail in Solæ's design. Each contributor molded the typeface into their own unique visual language, demonstrating its versatility across different design approaches. "It was moving to see something you created become a tool for others' creativity," Moigne reflects on seeing her typeface interpreted through various artistic lenses.
The project culminated in a launch event held in Paris in September, where all the posters were brought together in a single exhibition. The celebration gathered members of the design community to witness the formal release of the typeface. "As designers, we don't often have the opportunity to properly release projects and show them to people," Moigne notes. "Moments like that are really important." The event marked the end of a journey that began as a student assignment and evolved into a comprehensive typeface family that bridges historical typography with contemporary celestial inspiration.
