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Grope Sans: a very rude typeface by Bompas & Parr

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Date
14 February 2017
An illustration of the words “GROPE SANS” in a bold, pink sans-serif typeface against a pale pink background. Stylised hands in red and blue reach out to touch and grab the letters.
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Bompas & Parr: Grope Sans

Bompas & Parr has released Grope Sans, a very rude typeface specially for Valentine’s Day. The face is inspired by the studio’s installation Grope Mountain – a climbing wall where the traditional holds are replaced with ones shaped like genitals. As such, each letter features anatomically themed appendages, from a small nipple on the P to the less subtle penis-shaped T, plus interactive hands.

The studio’s graphic designer Flo Fairweather clearly had a lot of fun on this project. “It’s surprisingly easy to turn most type forms into penises, vaginas and breasts. There are up to three variations on each letter, so an even representation of male and female parts can be achieved with every word. Every minor adjustment I made was laughter-inducing.”

The style of the type was inspired by cartoons and uses soft, cheery colours to allow the designer to be as crude as possible while keeping it lighthearted. It’s used in event signage, maps and hand-outs to help climbers navigate the installation.

Grope Mountain is available to visit in Liverpool today.

Download the typeface for free here.

An animation in which pink and blue letters morph into stylised anatomical shapes. The sequence cycles through various characters, including “G”, “R”, “P”, “E”, “M”, “U”, “N”, “T”, “A” and “I”, against a pale pink background.
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Bompas & Parr: Grope Sans

An illustration of a complete alphabet where each letter is stylised as a different part of the human body. The letters are rendered in pink and blue on a pale pink background.
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Bompas & Parr: Grope Sans

An illustration of the word “BOOBS” in pink, rounded lettering against a blue background. The two “O”s are depicted as breasts, each being squeezed by a hand.
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Bompas & Parr: Grope Sans

A stack of booklets featuring a pink and blue illustration of a stylised, rounded figure. Bold, colourful typography reads “Grope Mountain” and “Bompas & Parr”.
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Bompas & Parr: Grope Sans

An illustration of the words “Grope Mountain” in bold, rounded lettering on a pale pink background. Small hands reach in from the edges to touch and squeeze the letters. Above the main text, a smaller logo reads “Bompas & Parr”.
Above

Bompas & Parr: Grope Sans

An illustration of the words “SOFTLY SOFTLY”, “STRETCH” and “EXPLODE” in pink and blue. Stylised hands interact with the letters, pulling, pushing and poking them against a pale pink background.
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Bompas & Parr: Grope Sans

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About the Author

Jenny Brewer

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Jenny oversees editorial output across It’s Nice That. Get in touch with writing pitches for features or opinion pieces, big creative story tips, or questions about all things editorial. jb@itsnicethat.com

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