Dejanire is a type family loosely inspired by an anonymous display typeface found in the type specimen of Claude Lamesle, published in Paris in 1742. It takes its name from Deianira, a Calydonian princess in Greek mythology and the wife of Heracles.
The font originally introduced under the name of Gros canon deux points de gros romain was neither handsome nor elegant, suggesting that its punchcutter wasn’t a very talented artisan. In spite of this, Ramiro Espinoza saw enough alluring features in it that he decided to assign himself a design exercise: he would scrub the font of its flaws and ungainliness while preserving its genuine freshness, using it as a starting point for a new editorial family.
