Jean-Luc Godard’s films during the French New Wave period (roughly 1959-1967) are classics of cinema, but they also provided some great typography that can be as striking as the films themselves. The title designs are big, bold and beautiful.

The designs reflect the work that Godard was producing during this period. The films of the French New Wave had a deliberate handheld and natural feel with fragmented takes and jump cuts that added to the films sense of personality and expression.

Similarly, the type for the film titles have a subtle yet charming ruggedness about them, the words look almost hand-drawn or as though the letters have been cut out with a scalpel and these imperfections give it a feeling of identity and craft.

The type is often large and commanding, in some cases it is layered over the top of the films but in a considered manner that also frames the shot. The type is sometimes animated with a sense of playfulness, for example in the opening titles for Bande à Part (video below)