Varela Type is a revival typeface inspired by the work of the illustrator and calligrapher Eulogio Varela. This project was developed during the second edition of the Letras de Cabecera typography workshop, organized by the Museo ABC in collaboration with the Imprenta Municipal – Artes del Libro, and led by Alex Santos and Eloy Segura.
Through an in-depth analysis of the lettering and signage preserved within the ABC Collection, we designed this typeface with the aim of adapting Eulogio Varela’s artistic legacy to contemporary design. The result is a type system imbued with the essence of Art Nouveau; an organic typeface featuring terminals that evoke Varela’s distinct calligraphic style.

The main challenge lay in translating a calligraphic foundation—where character lives in every unique, individual stroke—into a modular typographic system based on reusable elements, all while maintaining a distinct and functional identity. Throughout the process, we constantly balanced the design: making nods to the original lettering in certain characters, while in others, sacrificing specific details to adapt the glyphs into more conventional forms that ensure proper typographic performance.
The result is a type system imbued with the essence of Art Nouveau; an organic typeface featuring terminals that evoke Varela’s distinct calligraphic style.

Letras de cabecera – 2025

Cristina Hernando
Claudia Prezioso
Gonzalo Muñoz