The Maiandra family of typefaces was inspired by an early example of Oswald Cooper’s hand lettering as seen in an advertisement for a book on home furnishing, circa 1909. Although many of Oz Cooper’s letterform designs were cast in metal type, this particular one was not.

Cooper’s design itself was inspired by examples of letterforms he had admired in his study of Greek epigraphy (inscriptions). Cooper combined those ancient forms with the flair characteristic of design styles of his time. The result was an attractive design possessing subtle, purposeful irregularities, or ‘meanders,’ in his skilled brushwork.

The Cooper design exhibits a unique warmth and harmony in text, while presenting a compelling rhythm, color and texture on the page. “Realizing the presence of this uniform warmth and readability,” notes Dennis, “I decided to expand the design into a family of three weights with companion italics.”

The weights for the Maiandra family were selected for their versatility in usage over a broad range of output device resolutions. Indeed, “the consideration of eventual display resolutions, be they for screen or printer, provided the greatest challenge in the design of this typeface family,” explains Dennis. Creating shapes that conform to the rigors of digital letterforms and modern rendering environments without losing the unique characteristics of Oz Cooper’s original design is what Dennis has accomplished with his tribute to this great designer of the past.

Maiandra, whose name derives from the Greek ‘maiandros’ meaning ‘meander,’ is intended for extended text use as well as for informal subject matter such as business correspondence, brochures and broadsides. “An example of a good use for Maiandra,” notes Dennis, “is in printed matter relating to the turn-of-the-century art period known as the Arts and Crafts Movement. It can stand alone or be used with designs that complement its shape and color.”