Font Friday #141

Moucha

Moucha shifts from vintage to modern. The geometric sans-serif typeface set on a mobile phone in the headline, body text, functional text in the tab bar and a big, italic quote in the middle. It is taken from a Babyshamble song and reads: ““Let’s sever the ties! Because I’m so clever, but clever ain’t wise. ‹And Font Forever, if ‹you don't mind.” Anyone seen the Pete Doherty Doc?

Sans-serif typeface

from Vibrant Types
designed by Philip Lammert

Variable Font

2 axes: Proportions, Weight

42 Styles

7 Weights: Ultra to Black
3 Styles: Vintage, X, Modern
with matching obliques

Additional Scripts

Cyrillic, Greek

Best for

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

License starting

around $45 (one style)
around $450 (bundle)

Specialty

An unusual, versatile geometric sans-serif typeface that can shift its mood from vintage to modern, while remaining a warm touch.

Get Moucha from ILT

My thoughts on Moucha

Since Futura’s debut in 1927 a geometric sans-serif is not all the hype anymore. Also, variable fonts with varying widths are common by now. And even though Moucha is both – a geometric sans-serif and a variable font – it is different, mucho different đŸ€Ș. Because with the width not only the length of lines is changing, also the vibe of the typeface goes from Vintage to Modern. How can that be?

Moucha can feel Vintage due to the fairly irregular widths. The circular letters are all quite wide, like the e or o, while other characters are pretty narrow, like the lower case a, u, the n and m. The capital letters vary a lot in with. But also quite Modern when characters have a similar, more balanced width. It is a geometric typeface, keeping a soft, friendly touch thanks to characters like the double storey a and g. Most capital letters are wide here.
Comparing Moucha Vintage and Moucha Modern. Take a look at the overall feeling of a paragraph.

The secret is that not all the characters change their width, and this irregularity makes it so special. Circular shapes, like “o”, “e”, or “c” remain the same across styles, some characters like “t” or “w” change a bit, while others, like “a” or “n” change dramatically. Moucha Vintage shows the most variety in the width of the individual characters, making it quirky and a bit strange. Moucha Modern is quite wide and seems balanced, and there also is the interesting Moucha X in between.

Copmaring Moucha Vintage, Moucha X and Moucha Modern.
Comparing Moucha’s three styles, see how the width of some characters changes, while the circular characters remain consistent across all styles.

What I like a lot about Moucha Modern that is still has a certain warmth to it. This is due to the tailed terminal of the “t” and the double storey “a” and “g”. By utilizing the various stylistic sets, you can make Moucha more minimalist but also more legible. When it comes to usage of space and legibility, I recommend Moucha X for UI design with certain stylistic sets activated.

Moucha Modern’s default style still has some vintage vibes going. Moucha Modern, stylistic set 1 on:‹Now with a very sober, clean touch. Moucha X, default style, charming, but not always that legible. Moucha X, stylistic sets 3 and 4 on: ideal for UI design.
When activating specific stylistic sets, Moucha can become more minimalistic or legible.

You can see the roots of the vintage style lie in typefaces like Futura. But Moucha has plenty of advantages, I go deeper into that in the Font Friday Video Digest. Moucha is a very versatile, but clam typeface. I only wish the weight axis would use the CSS defaults between 100 and 900, rather than 20 to 200. But still, the typeface performs well in many applications, ideally in body text and even in UI design, if the right stylistic sets are activated.

Where is Moucha superior to classic Futura? In the Font Friday November Video Digest.

Font Pairings for Moucha

You look for something with fire for your headings? Choose Voyage, also geometric, but in a contrasting, lavish way, or one of the other suggestions.

Moucha
Moucha
  • Headings
  • Copy
  • UI Text
Voyage
Voyage
  • Headings
Hepta Slab (free)
Hepta Slab (free)
  • Headings
  • Copy
Basteleur (free)
Basteleur (free)
  • Headings

Learn more about pairing typefaces using the Font Matrix.

What do you think of Moucha? Tell me in the comments below! Also, if you spot an interesting typeface I should review!

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Edition #141, published

4 Comments

  1. lc “l” and uc “I” barely differentiated
    qp and db are mirror images
    Except for lc “g”, italics seems like oblique regular
    Irregular width is more a bug than a feature
    Counters small in bold and too small in black weights
    In Modern, circular letters should have been made narrower instead of other letters wider

    Reply

  2. First, a quote from one of my favorite high-school songs
    “I’m flyin’ away running like the wind as I chase the Sun (font)”

    Now, Moucha – don’t like the name for what I see. For years I was looking for Futura’s alternative and hope Moucha Vintage could be that.

    While Modern Moucha is spacy and should look friendlier, and more approachable, if you look at the word Magnet, do you see how a and g look so bored? Like their eyelids are half-closed 😒 but I love pyramidy M 😍

    You know Oliver that I’m all about sensing a wholistic and zooming out, but I wish I had picky eyes for nuances that you eloquently explain and Steve’s comment also made me think💭

    Reply

    1. Thanks for that quote, Jana! And love how you describe the M as pyramidy! It is not a perfect typeface, it has much more personality in the genre of geometric sans-serifs, so definitely not for everyone.

      Reply

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