XAVIER DUPRÉ
FONTFONT, FONTSHOP

Xavier Dupré was born in France in 1977. In 1995, he studied graphic design in Paris and received a GCE Applied Arts degree. Two years later, he went to the Scriptorium de Toulouse to learn calligraphy and typography. In 1999, he began work at a packaging design agency in Paris. He collaborates with Ladislas Mandel, well-known for telephone directory types, and experiments with Renaissance letterforms. Recently, he has lived in Cambodia, designing Latin and Khmer typefaces as he traveled through Southeast Asia. Dupré was awarded consecutive Certificates of Typographic Excellence in 2004 and 2005 by New York's Type Directors Club. Contact: www.fontshop.com

How did you first become interested in type and type design? I designed my first faces when I got my first Macintosh in '96. They were only experimental fonts. I was really fascinated by FontFont and Emigre faces. But before my graphic design studies, I was already interested by characters and lettering, because I collected lithographic vintage movie posters showing hand-made writings.

Who has most influenced your work, in or out of the design field? Out of the design field, it is difficult to say. In type design, I have had many influences at each period. When I learned calligraphy and type design, I was influenced by French classical type designers such as Mandel or Mendoza. Then, my influences became more international; American, Dutch, German.

What is your favorite typeface that you have designed? I don't really have a favorite font, because when I'm designing, the typeface in progress is my favorite. And when I design a new one, I forget the previous one.

What is the best-selling typeface you have designed? In the FF library, probably FF Absara.

How do you come up with a font name? Is it important or just whimsical? It is not so easy to find a name. Sometimes the foundries don't accept my name suggestions, and it's always difficult for me to find another one. Font names are mostly inspired by my life, travels, readings. I like to create new words such as Reminga and Angkoon, and I try to choose the most unique characters in the font. Sometimes, I discover that the word already has a meaning in a language. Now, I've been working on a family for more than six months, and I haven't yet found the name.