The project takes its name from the Spanish word Algarabía—a room where the overlap of countless voices dissolves distinct words into an incomprehensible noise. Driven by this principle, the project explores what happens when a functional, readable element is distorted until it loses its original purpose to become a purely acoustic and visual entity.

The first phase consists of a clean, legible sans-serif grotesk typeface designed for functional use, such as editorial design and portfolio identity. Its graphic architecture subtly references the world of electronic music—specifically minimal house, progressive, and deep house—using the iconic quote by U96 as its specimen lead: “Life is cruel without sound”.

In the second, research-driven phase, John Cartan’s method is applied to extract the audio waveform of each character directly from its vector outline. By translating geometric shapes into sound and image, the typeface leaves legibility behind, turning letters into raw noise, texture, and frequency—redefining algarabía through a graphic-acoustic lens.

Algarabía is a grotesk typeface built on the relationship between typography and sound. The project spans two phases: a clean, functional sans-serif influenced by subgenres like minimal house, progressive, and deep house; and an experimental phase where, using John Cartan’s method, the vector outline of each letter is converted into its own sound wave. Just like an algarabía—where overlapping voices synthesize into noise—the typeface shifts from absolute legibility into pure audio distortion.