How Margot Lévêque built Claude Type around slowness and craft

Margot Lévêque has launched Claude Type – a foundry she describes as a couture atelier rather than another type catalogue. The name honours both Claude Garamont, the sixteenth-century French punchcutter, and Claudine, her grandmother, who taught her what French elegance means. Lévêque’s path here wound through necessary retreat. Now based between New York and Paris, she’s returned with a foundry structure designed to protect both her typefaces and herself. In this conversation, Lévêque discusses building Claude Type, stepping back from the spotlight, and why she believes you don’t need to be ready to start. TBI: Hi Margot! A lot has changed since we last spoke! How are you feeling? ML: It feels so strange (and kind of beautiful) to realise how much time has passed since we last talked. Years, really. And so much has unfolded in between. After a very intense stretch of work, I felt a deep need to step back. Looking back now, 2022 almost feels unreal. I was juggling more than 60 freelance projects that year, alongside my type design work. At the time, I just kept going, but in hindsight, it was a lot to carry.