Inspiration for a new typeface design can come from many places: shifts in cultural trends, technological developments, historical research, and design experimentation. It can also be an idea that has been bubbling under the surface for many years, where a particular style or textural dynamic are just waiting to be given shape.

As part of his type design training, Damien Collot conducted extensive research into the calligraphic origins of italics and their influence on typography. These fifteen months of study inform his practice and colour the aesthetics of his work at Dalton Maag.

Lemance, the font family that he conceived, takes its name from the river which flows through Monsempron-Libos, a town in southwest France where Damien was born. Like the serene and placid river, his restrained and functional sans serif reveals, on closer inspection, an organic, playful quality.