By Ivan Zhao · San Francisco, USA
Convo is a multi-style handwritten typeface filled with whimsy and charm. With various weights, obliques, and a script, there’s bound to be something for everyone.
If you’re unfamiliar with the series, Paper Mario is a spinoff of Nintendo’s favorite mustachioed guy in a stunning new RPG. When I first looked into whether this was even feasible or done before, I poked around on Reddit and found this post, which talked about the original font. Dubbed Seurat in the Japanese Version, it debuted with Pop Joy B. in the English version. There seemed to be no noticeable distinctions between the two: most likely Pop Joy was designed and spaced specifically for English text as opposed to Japanese kana’s. However, the marker-style calligraphic construction remains ever present and contributed much to the creation of Convo.
Ivan (he/him) is a creative technologist living in San Francisco, CA interested in the creation of letters, interactive and nonlinear narratives, and notions of self. His creative practice investigates the meanderings of technology and the internet, specifically in the ways that technology provides affordances and space for those of marginalized voices to live freely. When not writing, drawing letters, or writing terrible code, he can usually be found at the dog park, hammocking at the top of a mountain, or baking many loafs of bread.
