Developed by the Swiss design studio Maximage, Programme is an innovative typeface which is based both on calligraphy and computer programming. The typeface was developed with the help of scripting technology.

The project started from the rather raw idea that a font’s DNA is entirely contained in the calligraphic letters “o” and “n.” From these two glyphs, it was thought that a computer program could build the full Latin alphabet, since a typeface is actually made out of a limited set of shapes that are repeated in all of its characters. The typeface was eventually optimized for both text and display uses. In some cases, the imperfections of the program have not been retouched to preserve the type’s original essence. This is why Programme exists in a rougher style as well as in a more refined one.

The first version of Programme was featured in JRP Ringier’ 2009 book Typeface as Program. The book provides an overview of a series of projects related to programming and type design, which took place at the École cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL).