Sans-serif typeface

from Blaze Type
designed by Matthieu Salvaggio

Variable Font

2 axes: Weight, Slant

14 Styles

7 Weights: Extra Light to Black
with matching obliques

Best for

  • Headings (display text)
  • Long reading text (body text)
  • User Interfaces (functional text)

License starting

below $50 (one style)
below $500 (bundle)

Specialty

A sensitive reinterpretation of Antique Olive, making it more versatile for a range of text applications, even UIs.

My thoughts on Massilia

The humanist sans-serif typeface Massilia by the coolest dude, Matthieu from Blaze Type, combines vintage vibes with a modern touch. It is quite sturdy, which makes it surprisingly versatile. The Regular weight is already fairly strong, so I would not use it for super text heavy applications. But because of that, I could imagine this typeface it in a unique UI design, too.

A soft human touch elegant obliques with a single-story a also for bold statements
or a quiet whisper in small sizes. Still very readable thanks to the sturdy strokes.
1 Interseting 2 Rounded 3 Numbers
Extra light is extra pretty
Massilia creates an even but never boring typographic color

Massilia is an homage to the classic typeface Antique Olive from the 1960ies. Whenever there is an updated version of a typeface, I ask myself why? Looking at the original, you see that it has some flashy features. Like the top-heavy o, the sharp and steep terminals and narrower proportions. This all creates a rather uneasy impression. Compared to that, Massilia looks much smoother, cleaner, also coming with an elegant single story a in the obliques.

Antique Olive is quirkier,
Massilia seems smoother, and more balanced.
Compared to Antique Olive, Massilia is smoother and has a more contemporary design

I personally really don’t like Antique Olive – as I described with Paysage – but this interpretation makes me like it. It highlights the cool things, while fixing the overly weird ones. Creating a more even, but never boring impression.


What do you think of this week’s typeface? Let me know in the comments!

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One Comment

  1. I feel indifferent to Massilia, Oliver😀 But it helps me to appreciate Antique Olive that much more! Massilia is, compared to AO, stable and in harmony with inner demons.

    When I saw the Long reading text version, it was like you added a blurred effect. But Massilia is like ocean waves in Italic, which I love!

    Neeeeext, please
    😉

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