Mallory is a typeface based on the handwriting of Mallory Grossman, who took her life at the age of 12, after months of bullying. Mallory's parents lead Mallory's Army, an organization that works to educate and prevent bullying. They provided pages of Mallory's homework, from which, this typeface was developed.
Working directly with Mallory’s writing, I was very intentional when trying to capture the personality and distinction of her letterforms. With type, you have to carefully balance personality with consistency, otherwise the “personality” of the type becomes a little obvious and it feels false. I worked to strike the balance between personality and a repeatable flow, so the font itself would feel as natural and true to the source as possible. I wanted to honor her writing, the immaturity of it, the rhythm of the forms, and the unique experience of the writer.
Bringing this work into fruition, I was really struck by the thought that her handwriting is frozen in time. It’s never going to shift or mature. It’s such a personal loss to her friends and family, but it’s also the loss of her potential impact on the world. While I was working on the typeface, I used the working title of “twelve.” It is the handwriting of a twelve year-old, and the tragedy is that we’ll never have the words that she would have made at older ages.
Presenting the typeface to the Grossman’s was a very moving experience. Through this organization, they've been able to honor their daughter's memory and care for their own grief. I talked with them about what their daughter’s handwriting, and what I imagined about how she wrote. I asked them if Mallory reached over the top of her work to write. The Grossman's remembered that her teachers had pointed that out, too. It was a small detail, but one that is captured through Mallory's letterforms and her writing.
Words matter.
