Kahu has been designed out of an exploration into how a typeface might act as a form of monument. It is particularly inspired by the ANZAC story, along with the typography of war memorials across New Zealand, which were substantially documented during the research. Kahu’s core structure is based on classical Roman inscriptions (with the ‘tooling’ of the uppercase letterforms relating to both the brush and chisel), whilst also referencing modern derivatives such as Eric Gill’s Perpetua, and Jean François Porchez’s Le Monde. The flared stems give way to the classical roman stroke or cut, while overall letter width is indicative of more industrial types, such as Lance Hindy’s Penumbra family. A delicate half serif is a further design trait—intended as a display element at large sizes. As the type becomes smaller, definition of this serif fades, creating a form of hierarchy defined by detail, rather than by weight. Kahu is still a concept, and needs plenty of work. It is therefore not yet available under license. If you're interested in collaborating with it, however, please feel free to get in touch.