Taylor Swift has set the internet on fire with the announcement of her upcoming record, The Life of a Showgirl. From the concept to the color palette, everything about the album cover has been widely discussed online.
What most people haven’t discovered yet is that Nicaraguan designer Edwin Moreira Balladares is the mastermind behind the album’s font. Titled Gazzetta, this typeface is now making the rounds on the internet as Swift’s fans anticipate her new music era.
Taylor Swift’s Album Cover Has a Latino Story You Didn’t See Coming
Whether you’re chronically online or occasionally take a look at social media, you’ve probably come across teasers of Taylor Swift’s new album. In the first images of The Life of a Showgirl, Swift embodies the classic American showgirl aesthetic. The cover art shows Swift submerged in what’s presumably a bathtub. Orange colored letters with the album’s name accompany the portrait.
As previous Swift releases have done, the color palette and minimalist font have prompted a stream of fan-made content. Brands have quickly taken to the internet to update their logos with a mix of oranges and mint shades. Content creators and fans have turned to font generators to create memes and humorous content.
Meanwhile, the most design-savvy have deep dived into the graphic design elements, unveiling the origin of the font on Swift’s album.
Meet Edwin Moreira, the Designer Behind the Font Taking Over the Internet
The typeface is none other than Gazzetta by Nicaraguan graphic designer and font developer Edwin Moreira. Described as “friendly and energetic,” Gazetta is a condensed font family that merges softened forms with sharp joints.
Moreira is a graphic design institution in Latin America. His passion for typographic design runs deep. In 2014, along with a group of font enthusiasts in Nicaragua, he integrated his country into Tipos Latinos. The latest is a Latin American establishment in charge of organizing the Latin American Typography Biennial. As per Simbold, Moreira’s group also “organized the first meeting exclusively dedicated to honoring Latin American typographic work in Nicaragua.”
“I practice graphic design as both a passion and a profession,” Moreira tells mitú about his career. His work includes typefaces and books, covers, and poster design. “I hold a Diploma in Typographic Design and Production, Applied Typography, and a Master’s degree in Analog and Digital Editorial Media Design. I won 2nd place at the International Poster Biennial in Mexico City, 2023.”
After self-teaching his way into typeface design, Moreira has developed award-winning fonts. The Latin American Design Awards and design platforms have recognized his work. Additionally, Moreira’s font Seferis was selected as one of the best typefaces of 2021 by Eye on Design.
Why Taylor Swift’s Font Choice Is a Win for Central American Design
Following Gazzetta’s appearance on Taylor Swift’s album, the designer admitted he was surprised and still gauging the impact of the news. “My Instagram was filled with followers in a matter of hours. It’s impressive,” Moreira told Nicaraguan outlet Vos TV. “It’s something unprecedented in my life.”
Moreira’s colleagues were the first to celebrate the feat. Many took to the internet to congratulate him on social media. The posts recognized the designer’s trajectory and dedication to the craft.
“This is a highly visible global project associated with a figure of enormous cultural relevance,” wrote TipoType, in charge of Gazzetta’s distribution. “The choice of Gazzetta reinforces its presence in high-impact settings and consolidates its profile as an editorial typeface with international projection.”
But most importantly, as Moreira’s colleagues pointed out, Gazzetta’s feature on TayTay’s album is a win for Nicaraguan and Central American design. It is also proof that Latinos are breaking barriers everywhere and in every field.
