Monotype Launches New Climate Project with Design by Bruce Mau Design
Bruce Mau Design (BMD), a multidisciplinary brand and design studio based in Toronto, has recently partnered with Monotype to unveil "Hot & Wet", a creative project that explores how design can potentially reshape climate discussions by employing "optimism, imagination, and action".
Central to the project is Climate Chronicle, a microsite developed with BMD’s creative team, which showcases a changing array of hypothetical – but nevertheless optimistic – news headlines that suggest environmental advancements have already taken place.
The concept is reportedly inspired by a speculative exercise dubbed "future headlines" that the studio employs in its own brand workshops.
"Through typographic storytelling, narrative framing, and intentional digital design, Hot & Wet demonstrates how everyday creative decisions, including the use of variable typography, can reduce environmental impact while strengthening emotional resonance. The work positions design not just as communication, but as infrastructure for climate-positive change," says BMD.
To bring the future headlines in Climate Chronicles to life, Monotype's executive creative directors selected "Macklin Variable", a variable font with 54 styles that evokes the feel of newspaper headlines.
"A creative decision to use fewer styles, smaller files, or variable fonts in general can add up to meaningful impact when evaluating energy use. Smarter font delivery and broader script support make typography more sustainable for everyone," explains the design team at BMD.
"A typeface is kilobytes of encoded culture in a world of gigabyte media – by choosing and using typefaces with intention, typography becomes a subtle but serious climate tool," adds Phil Garnham, executive creative director at Monotype.
"News-wise, we are overwhelmed by dystopian narratives about the climate crisis. Without hopeful, creative visions of what’s possible, we risk collective paralysis. We wanted to explore what it might feel like to encounter positive news about what our lives could be like if we addressed climate change. If we can't imagine the future we want, we can't possibly get there," further comments Laura Stein, chief creative officer at BMD.
