Le Murmure is a 56-page type specimen book exploring the expressive qualities of Jérémy Landes’s editorial display typeface.
This project was completed for Art 338: Typography II at California Polytechnic State University. I was responsible for all research, writing, design, and assembly.
The project began as a type specimen book meant to show the typeface in action, not just as a set of letterforms. I wanted to translate Le Murmure’s character into an editorial system that could bring out hierarchy, rhythm, and a sense of practical use. The design draws from the typeface’s origins, with references to French editorial design and contemporary magazines like Purple. Working with a four-column grid and baseline structure, I developed spreads that play with scale, pacing, and contrast, while using Freight Text Pro for the body copy to keep everything clear and grounded.
The final book brings those elements together into a cohesive system that shows the typeface’s rhythm and versatility across different kinds of applications. It was produced as a fully bound physical book using double-fan binding.
The final book was selected to be featured in Cal Poly’s University Art Gallery Juried Student Show, 2026.
I began the process of creating this book by first writing all of its content. I compiled both research and my own typographic analysis into a multi-page paper. From there, I organized the content into spreads and created a book map. I love incorporating analog materials into my process, so I cut out the book map by hand and physically rearranged the pages.
(insert scan of book map)
Below are the first designs I came up with. This was before I had established a cohesive design system. After repeated test prints, including color and body text checks, I refined the pages and established sections, headings, and other paragraph styles.
I then developed the remaining spreads using the same design system, ensuring consistency. After finalizing the layouts, I printed, trimmed, and bound the book.