Moret—Undoubtedly distinctive and one of The Northern Block’s most popular typefaces used by creatives worldwide.

Moret in use for on-demand grocery delivery service, Weezy. Designed by Otherway.

Moret is a sophisticated display typeface inspired by 20th-century European sign painting. Designed by Jamie Chang and published by The Northern Block, it blends several calligraphic concepts to create a unique, dynamic, and emphatic typeface. Since its release in 2019, Moret has appeared in some truly unexpected places.

In February 2020, Moret shot to fame when it featured in a Squarespace commercial shown during half-time at the US Super Bowl final. Beetlejuice actress Winona Ryder took the leading role, as she embarked on a journey of self-discovery to her namesake, Winona, Minnesota.

Jonathan Hill, the founder of The Northern Block, was completely unaware of Moret’s usage for Squarespace and admitted that he heard the news from a friend hooked on American football.

“When I watched it, everything made total sense. The best thing about The Northern Block’s feature in this Squarespace campaign was not so much about Moret’s commercial potential; it was the fact Moret had become effortlessly immersed within the exact world for which it was designed.” 

Watch the full ‘Welcome to Winona’ commercial on YouTube.

Ben Hughes, VP of Brand Design at Squarespace, explains why his team chose Moret to visually drive the campaign:

“While researching typefaces, the team always knew that we needed something that could bring forward the feeling of an American town that still thrives on community and mom and pop stores. We really felt that Moret was a perfect fit because of its nod to sign painting, while still having calligraphy roots that spoke to the town’s rich history. It also provided us with a tonal range that felt unique enough to the town itself without going to the campy side (which is so easy to do when quoting this kind of vernacular).”

In addition to the ‘Welcome to Winona’ campaign, Moret has been utilised exceptionally well over the last five years, with creative agencies worldwide shining a light on the typeface. It’s a typeface that commands attention, embedding itself firmly into our minds. 

Turn on Netflix, and you’ll catch a quick glimpse of Moret in the epic film The Irishman, produced by Martin Scorsese. The typeface also takes centre stage in the movie Nobody Knows I’m Here, which won Best New Narrative Director at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival.

In 2021, Scandinavian Design Group favoured Moret for the rebranding of Favrit—one of Norway’s leading ordering and payment solutions in the hospitality industry, with the purpose to ‘Empower Magic Moments’. Throughout the brand identity, Moret is used as the primary display typeface. The agency explains why they chose Moret:

“A bold but controlled serif display typeface gave Favrit the perfect voice to communicate the engaging tone of voice, across all screens and mediums. The typography strikes a balance between human warmth and technical precision—a combination also embodied in Favrit’s product.” 

In 2022, Anna Rieger’s editorial design elegantly showcased Moret throughout the book ‘Modern Light’—the first comprehensive survey of the life and work of Luigi Lucioni. The following year, Radim Malinic, a best-selling author and creative director of Brand Nu Studio, chose Moret for his book and podcast series ‘Creativity for Sale’ and ‘Mindful Creative’. The author also made use of the typeface on his personal website.

By mid-2023, Moret was the mouthwatering typeface of choice for Grillgott—a barbecue brand with an identity system designed by Arndt Benedikt. Dubbed ‘the ultimate barbecue experience’, the German design studio knew they wanted to do things differently, and implemented a series of headlines that ‘straddle the line between smart and humorous’—all set in Moret Bold.

Moret took the lead in Grillgott’s identity system, designed by Arndt Benedikt.

Moret is a typeface that can stand the test of time. But neither Jonathan nor Jamie could have anticipated the outcome of this type design project.

“Typefaces like Moret do make sales”, Jonathan says, “but usually take a year or so to be incorporated into large-scale commercial work. Jamie would work with a stylus and tablet to carve out natural curves, and working closely with him allowed us to push the design and capture something true to the designer’s DNA signature.” 

With its unique DNA, Moret is undoubtedly distinctive. Walk around your local supermarket, and you’ll see the typeface scattered across the shelves—from limited-edition Glade Air Freshener packaging to Schlor bottled fruit juice from Lake Constance; it’s a typeface that will undeniably stand out amongst the crowd.

Moret in use for New Zealand’s premium honey brand, Manukora.

Moret has been an enormous success when it comes to packaging design. Canadian-based design agency Pendo helped honey producer Manukora expand into the US by ‘Rethinking Manuka Honey’. After developing a new strategy, Pendo created an apothecary-style brand using a custom version of Moret.

“We created a custom typeface to evoke the quality associated with the product, the New Zealand origin story, and the company’s history.” 

But what about the supermarket brand itself? Design and advertising agency Otherway believed Moret set the perfect tone for the rebranding of Weezy—an online supermarket delivering quality groceries in under 15 minutes. The design agency wanted the new branding to be inspired by ‘nostalgic local grocery stores—the bold sign-writing, fresh colours, and eye-catching retail shapes all nod to a much loved, familiar grocery world, reimagined for today.’

When Jamie designed Moret, he aimed to capture the nostalgia present in 20th-century continental street signage, and develop something compact, tenacious, and evocative—a typeface fit for commercial use, and modern interpretation on posters, books, and websites. Seeing Moret thrive over the last five years, in what is becoming an increasingly saturated typography market, has been quite the journey—but a thoroughly exciting one for our team to be a part of!

If you’ve used one of The Northern Block’s fonts in your project, please send us examples, including a brief description and a link to the original work.

If you’re considering using Moret, you can purchase the type family directly from The Northern Block (variable format is also available). Alternatively, we can provide tailored licensing options, or deliver a customised version to suit your requirements. Please email us, and we’d be happy to chat further.