By Danielle Cahill
ninemsn
First it was the toy-like dogs carried in handbags and then it was oversized designer totes. Now supermodel Kate Moss is ready to set off a new celebrity trend: getting your own font.
No longer happy to simply set the trend in what to wear, dating bad boys and how to be a yummy mummy, Moss has taken her brand to a whole new level.
Her font is sleek and black, designed by typographer Paul Barnes in collaboration with graphic designer Peter Saville, famous for his album cover designs for Factory Records in the UK.
It takes its inspiration from another unreleased font called "Brodovitch Albro", originally designed by Alexey Brodovitch, art director at fashion bible Harper's Bazaar from 1938 to 1954.
While there do not seem to be immediate plans for the font, some reports suggest Moss's new fragrance, due out next year, will be the launching pad for her special typographic design.
Typographers say the font, which lacks capital letters, could bring a wave of celebrity fonts to the open market.
"Britney Spears and Paris Hilton have their own logos," said Daniel Neville, a designer and typography expert who volunteers at the Melbourne Museum of Printing.
"It is rare," he said. "But Kate Moss is a celebrity so it might start a trend."
Moss may not have personally created the font but her personality comes through in the final design, Neville says.
"The thin aspects of the letters are reminiscent of her figure."
"It's a pretty typeface with the leg of the K that goes down below the baseline and the double S is nice as well.
"In the spirit of what Kate Moss embodies, it's a modernist outlook."
Moss and the typeface's designers may have some trouble releasing the font as Moss herself did not create it, so cannot retain full copyright over the design.
"To the extent that it [the font] is modified, she may have copyright over it," Neville said.
Kate may love her new font, but the real test will be in the court of public opinion. Which is your favourite font?
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