Gestalten

Your name/Company name and a brief introduction:
Rodrigo Fuenzalida. I’m a 28-year-old designer from Caracas, Venezuela, with a strong interest in typography and alphabet design. My major references come from 60s and 70s design, geometry, calligraphy, handwritten type and letterpress.

A short description about the font:
As the name suggests, Giambo Stencil is a stencil type font that’s reminiscent of classic stencil type but with a modern look.

What was the main idea behind designing the font?
There was no particular idea behind this font. It was rather a happy accident. At first I was trying to minimize and eliminate some of the serifs and thin strokes and eventually it turned into stencils.

How would you characterize your style?
My style is based around big black geometric display typefaces.

How did you come up with the name of the font?
With the help of the Gestalten font curators, we decided to link the name to the Bodoni Poster font by Giambattista Bodoni, which is where this font is derived from. We took his name and came up with Giambo.

What inspires you?
Constructivism. 60s, 70s, 80s. Geometry, color, vintage illustration, vintage-looking illustrations, logos.

Which is the bigger challenge: working on your own personal project or for a client with a strict briefing?
I’d have to say, a client with a strict brief.

Do you have a working routine? What are your ideal conditions for you to work in?
Since I work at a studio here in Caracas, with very strict and managed briefs by our clients, my work routine can mean coming to the studio and working for 8 hours on design projects from print to web.

When I have free time, I use it to draw letters and make sketches of ideas for new alphabets. Sometimes I combine that with a newly discovered passion for illustration.

What is the ideal usage of your font?
I really haven’t thought about this until now. But I’m sure that it will be as a big display font for titles and very short sentences. Or in heavy graphics projects as a companion or maybe an illustrative font.

How would you describe the state your handwriting is in?
My handwriting is awful! I write like a 4-year-old kid who doesn’t know to write!

Where does the font end, where does the image begin? Is there a line to draw?
My handwriting is awful! I write like a 4-year-old kid who doesn’t know to write!

Where does the font end, where does the image begin? Is there a line to draw?
This is a very good question. I ask myself everyday.

In my personal research on typography, I try to erase that line between type and form. I’m always trying to merge them in equal percentages. I always think that I’m studying the form using type as an excuse.

Your future plans/projects?
Continue with the study and development of alphabets. Start my own Studio. Start selling some silkscreen prints. And continue to work, hopefully, with more people from around the world.