Matisse Revived is a playful, expressive display typeface inspired by the joyful and calming qualities of Henri Matisse’s work — especially his fauvism and cut-out periods. The typeface was designed to capture happiness, comfort, and creativity, offering a tool for projects where playfulness and emotional resonance are key, such as children’s materials or visual arts.

The challenge was to translate Matisse’s colourful, free-flowing art into a monochrome typographic form. Drawing from his ethos — “a soothing, calming influence on the mind” — the design process explored how type could embody joy and artistic energy without losing readability.

Research focused on Matisse’s use of line, shape, and collage, alongside analysis of expressive typefaces like Embryo and Jeanne Moderno. Early sketches were cut from paper to mimic Matisse’s hand-cut process, then digitised in Procreate and refined in Illustrator. Iteration balanced playful proportions with legibility, adjusting counters, spacing, and decorative motifs until the letterforms felt bold, approachable, and full of movement.

The result is a typeface with chunky, childlike uppercase forms, low x-height, and whimsical contrasts in stroke weight — a visual tribute to Matisse’s expressive cut-outs reimagined as typography.

• Complete display typeface

• Decorative motifs

• Typeface specimen showcasing emotional qualities

• Application mockups (children’s materials, visual arts, poster design)

Matisse Revived demonstrates how type can carry emotion, extending beyond communication into play, comfort, and artistic expression. The project highlighted the challenges of adapting painterly colour and form into typographic shape, while proving that type design can be both experimental and deeply human.

In future, the typeface could expand into animated motion, interactive lettering tools, or multi-language character sets — broadening its expressive possibilities and accessibility.