Cemita
Cemita is a type family inspired by traditional food from Puebla, México: breaded chicken, pork or beef (Milanesa), as well as avocado, quesillo (string cheese), and chipotle (smoked jalapeño pepper). The project was awarded the 2021 Gerard Unger Scholarship Merit by TypeTogether and originally designed in the course Principles of Typeface Design: Display Type at Type@Cooper with Juan Villanueva.
Espécimen principal de la familia tipográfica Cemita combinando estilos Display y Script.Gastronomy, Form and Street Culture
The design of Cemita is rooted in the rich vernacular signage of Mexican markets and eateries. Its design explores how the warmth, generosity, and lively textures of street culinary culture can be formalized into a rigorous and multi-weight superfamily.
Aplicación de Cemita Quesillo inspirada en rótulos populares de comercio tradicional.The System Architecture
The family is conceived as a diverse culinary taxonomy:
- Cemita Milanesa: The sans convex forms with bold and energetic curves.
- Cemita de Pata: The serif counterpart of Milanesa, bringing sharp contrast and sturdy rhythm.
- Cemita Gourmet: The straightforward sans with clean, balanced geometric shapes.
- Cemita Quesillo: The fat script with ultra-black organic strokes inspired by hand-pulled Oaxaca cheese.
Letrero comercial exterior metálico en fachada urbana tradicional.Vernacular Signage and Contrast
Cemita Milanesa, de Pata, and Gourmet count with 5 weights, oblique versions, and a variable weight axis. The intention is to expand the design space into a wider width axis and specialized text cuts.
Aplicación textil de Cemita en una lista tipográfica de gastronomía típica.Real-world Applications
From screenprinted merchandise and market tote bags to cast metal street signs, Cemita bridges display letterforms with authentic visual culture.
Complete Glyph Maps
The character set covers extended Latin scripts, expressive ligatures, exaggerated punctuation marks, and custom numerals tailored for bold editorial display.
