Simulacra is a sans-serif variable font named from the Philip K. Dick novel “The Simulacra” published in 1964. PKD’s Simulacra are androids that have been created to covertly replace or imitate a specific human being, or in other cases, to maintain some semblance of normalcy as people migrate to the outer reaches of the solar system. Wide versatility in form and function was the inspiration for creating this typeface.
PKD described his novels as books that “try to pierce the veil of what is only apparently real to find out what is really real.” I wanted to capture that dichotomy of perception in the supporting imagery, as well as the chosen excerpts from the novel. There are 3 axes—weight, width, slant—and italic characters exist on their own stylistic set.
