Specimen
Clear, sharp, and slightly haughty, Didot typefaces have a distinct personality. Yet when used for running text, this very charisma can work against them; their readability would be improved if they were more rounded and flexible.
Gando, designed by Matthieu Cortat in 2025, combines these two seemingly incompatible temperaments. Developed as variable fonts, Gando openly embraces both extremes along with the full spectrum that lies between them: from a bold and glamorous “Poster” style to a rounded, charming, and discreet “Caption” style, along with a number of intermediary nuances. It is a typeface able to shine in the spotlight while also capable of reliably playing a supporting role; a family that ranges from the flamboyant diva, the young leading man, and the supporting actors, to the extras.
Everything starts with a specimen dating to 1828, printed in Paris for the Gando brothers’ foundry, which primarily presents running type in the Didot style of the period. Close study of these models reveals designs cleverly adapted to small sizes, along with some singular choices—notably an alternative series for the letters a, g, and j with a distinctly modernist appearance.
Gando’s design draws on this entire corpus while freely exploring the original forms.
Gando comes in four optical sizes: “Caption,” with a reinforced x-height and spacing optimized for small sizes; “Text,” with softened edges; “Display,” which fully embraces the Didot aesthetic; and “Poster,” where attention to the expressiveness of the curves is at its peak.
This palette is enhanced with italics and a range of weights from Regular to Bold. Carefully designed arrows, currency symbols, and roman numerals complete the set. The numerals are available in five series: tabular, oldstyle, tabular oldstyle, and two proportional sets—one aligned with capitals (ideal for more theatrical titles), and the other slightly reduced in height to blend more discreetly into lowercase running text.
From charismatic icons to extras, from grand dames to young leading men, Gando modulates typographic voice with consistency and finesse, playing its role on the stage of the page.
24 Styles
Poster
Display
Text
Caption
Poster Italic
Display Italic
Text Italic
Caption Italic
10 Variables
Poster
Display
Text
Caption
Total Roman
Poster Italic
Display Italic
Text Italic
Caption Italic
Total Italic
OpenType Features
Character Map
2
Supported Languages
▼
- Acheron
- Achinese
- Acholi
- Achuar-Shiwiar
- Afar
- Afrikaans
- Aguaruna
- Ahtna
- Alekano
- Aleut
- Alonquin
- Amahuaca
- Amarakaeri
- Amis
- Anaang
- Andaandi, Dongolawi
- Anuta
- Aragonese
- Arbëreshë Albanian
- Asháninka
- Ashéninka Perené
- Asturian
- Atayal
- Balinese
- Banjar
- Bari
- Basque
- Batak Dairi
- Batak Karo
- Batak Mandailing
- Batak Simalungun
- Batak Toba
- Bemba (Zambia)
- Bena (Tanzania)
- Bikol
- Bislama
- Borana-Arsi-Guji Oromo
- Bosnian
- Breton
- Buginese
- Candoshi-Shapra
- Caquinte
- Caribbean Hindustani
- Cashibo-Cacataibo
- Cashinahua
- Catalan
- Cebuano
- Central Aymara
- Central Kurdish
- Central Nahuatl
- Chachi
- Chamorro
- Chavacano
- Chiga
- Chiltepec Chinantec
- Chokwe
- Chuukese
- Cimbrian
- Cofán
- Cook Islands Māori
- Cornish
- Corsican
- Creek
- Crimean Tatar
- Croatian
- Czech
- Danish
- Dehu
- Dimli
- Dutch
- Eastern Arrernte
- Eastern Oromo
- English
- Faroese
- Fijian
- Filipino
- Finnish
- French
- Friulian
- Gagauz
- Galician
- Ganda
- Garifuna
- German
- Gheg Albanian
- Gilbertese
- Gooniyandi
- Gourmanchéma
- Guadeloupean Creole French
- Gusii
- Haitian
- Hani
- Hiligaynon
- Hopi
- Huastec
- Hungarian
- Hän
- Icelandic
- Iloko
- Inari Sami
- Indonesian
- Irish
- Istro Romanian
- Italian
- Ixcatlán Mazatec
- Jamaican Creole English
- Japanese
- Javanese
- Jola-Fonyi
- K'iche'
- Kabuverdianu
- Kaingang
- Kala Lagaw Ya
- Kalaallisut
- Kalenjin
- Kamba (Kenya)
- Kaonde
- Kaqchikel
- Kara-Kalpak
- Karelian
- Kashubian
- Kekchí
- Kenzi, Mattokki
- Khasi
- Kikuyu
- Kimbundu
- Kinyarwanda
- Kirmanjki
- Kituba (DRC)
- Kongo
- Konzo
- Kven Finnish
- Kölsch
- Ladin
- Ladino
- Latgalian
- Lithuanian
- Lombard
- Low German
- Lower Sorbian
- Lozi
- Luba-Lulua
- Lule Sami
- Luo (Kenya and Tanzania)
- Luxembourgish
- Macedo-Romanian
- Madurese
- Makonde
- Malagasy
- Malaysian
- Maltese
- Mandinka
- Mandjak
- Mankanya
- Manx
- Maore Comorian
- Maori
- Mapudungun
- Marshallese
- Matsés
- Mauritian Creole
- Meriam Mir
- Meru
- Mezquital Otomi
- Minangkabau
- Mirandese
- Mizo
- Mohawk
- Montenegrin
- Munsee
- Murrinh-Patha
- Muslim Tat
- Mwani
- Mískito
- Naga Pidgin
- Navajo
- Ndonga
- Neapolitan
- Ngazidja Comorian
- Niuean
- Nobiin
- Nomatsiguenga
- North Azerbaijani
- North Ndebele
- Northern Kurdish
- Northern Qiandong Miao
- Northern Sami
- Northern Uzbek
- Norwegian
- Nyanja
- Nyankole
- Occitan
- Ojitlán Chinantec
- Orma
- Oroqen
- Otuho
- Palauan
- Pampanga
- Papantla Totonac
- Papiamento
- Paraguayan Guaraní
- Pedi
- Picard
- Pichis Ashéninka
- Piemontese
- Pijin
- Pintupi-Luritja
- Pipil
- Pite Sami
- Pohnpeian
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Potawatomi
- Purepecha
- Páez
- Quechua
- Romanian
- Romansh
- Rotokas
- Rundi
- Samoan
- Sango
- Sangu (Tanzania)
- Saramaccan
- Sardinian
- Scots
- Scottish Gaelic
- Secoya
- Sena
- Seri
- Seselwa Creole French
- Shawnee
- Shipibo-Conibo
- Shona
- Shuar
- Sicilian
- Silesian
- Slovak
- Slovenian
- Soga
- Somali
- Soninke
- South Azerbaijani
- South Ndebele
- Southern Aymara
- Southern Qiandong Miao
- Southern Sami
- Southern Sotho
- Spanish
- Sranan Tongo
- Standard Estonian
- Standard Latvian
- Standard Malay
- Sundanese
- Swahili
- Swedish
- Swiss German
- Tagalog
- Tahitian
- Talysh
- Tedim Chin
- Tetum
- Tetun Dili
- Tlingit
- Toba
- Tok Pisin
- Tokelau
- Tonga (Tonga Islands)
- Tonga (Zambia)
- Tosk Albanian
- Tsakhur
- Tumbuka
- Turkish
- Turkmen
- Tuvalu
- Tzeltal
- Tzotzil
- Uab Meto
- Umbundu
- Ume Sami
- Upper Guinea Crioulo
- Upper Sorbian
- Venetian
- Veps
- Võro
- Walloon
- Walser
- Waray (Philippines)
- Warlpiri
- Wayuu
- Welsh
- West Central Oromo
- Western Abnaki
- Western Frisian
- Wiradjuri
- Wolof
- Xhosa
- Yanesha'
- Yao
- Yucateco
- Zapotec
- Zulu
- Zuni
- Záparo