The Chrysaora typeface was originally commissioned by the architects of group8 and the artist John Armleder, for a piece entitled, “Les Plates-formes de la porte dorée”, inspired by the story of the Golden door. It is part of the Parisian landscape, echoing the engravings made by the great names of the wall of the Cité nationale de l'histoire de l'immigration, originally the Museum of the Colonies, a showroom for French colonialism. Chrysaora revisits the general features of these engravings, solely in capitals, and is used to engrave texts presented in John Armleder's work. Chrysaor (literally “golden sword”) was the son of Poseidon and Medusa, the brother of Pegasus. His mother was transformed into a gorgon by the goddess Athena as punishment for having desecrated her temple. A statue of Athena, incarnating a triumphant France, decorates the Palais de la Porte dorée.
The Chrysaora typeface is available in three weights, and can be used to compose more than 105 languages, including Vietnamese with its many accented characters. It also contains numerous ligatures.