Graphic designer John Morgan launches type foundry and art platform, Abyme

Graphic designer John Morgan and typographer Adrien Vasquez have launched Abyme, a new digital type foundry and online art store. Selling exclusive artist’s editions, such as a glass ouija board by Paul Elliman, and typefaces developed by John and Adrien themselves, the platform brings together bi-products of previous projects from John Morgan studio.

“Abyme’s interest often but not exclusively begins with text or typography,” John says. “Consequently at the heart of Abyme is a digital type foundry. Many of the editions and typefaces began life as a ‘work’ inside another ‘work’ produced by John Morgan studio or through the extended culture and relationships of the practice. Abyme offers a platform to implement, publish and distribute these works and develop new editions with a wide circle of collaborators.”

So far two typefaces are available including English Egyptian, an interpretation of William Caslon’s Two Lines English Egyptian from 1816, “arguably the first sans serif printing type to be sold commercially”. The other is Nizioleti, a face named after stencil-painted Venetian street signs, and originally conceived for an identity for the 13th Venice Architecture Biennale. Another typeface, Berthe, will be available from 2018.

Also in the artist’s editions shop is a recreation of a sweatshirt worn by Carolee Schneemann in a photograph from 1976, emblazoned with the phrase “ABC We Print Anything”.