Island of Cocoplum, located south of the Coral Gables district in Miami, Florida, and home to a total of 302 residences, is one of the most exclusive and sought-after luxury residential communities in the United States. Its visual identity needed to represent its distinctive lifestyle, and for that, we were commissioned to design a custom typeface that would reflect their unique values.
After meticulous historical research—exploring everything from South Florida’s rich history to its transformation into a coastal paradise under the legacy of George E. Merrick, founder of Coral Gables in the 1920s—IOC was born: a typeface that embodies the duality between historical heritage, cultural memory, and the essence of a privileged natural area.
The foundation of IOC’s construction is the Latin uppercase “A” model by Juan de Yciar, a Spanish master calligrapher from the 16th century. This reference, which blends elegance and functionality, has been reinterpreted into the design of a contemporary typeface that achieves a perfect balance of tradition, refinement, and authenticity.
From this base, an alphabet was built with subtle serifs and soft contrast, evoking botanical reminiscences to represent the natural surroundings of Island of Cocoplum, while preserving the spirit of Roman incised lettering that lies in its DNA. Just like Island of Cocoplum, architecture and vegetation merge into an inseparable whole.
IOC is designed exclusively in uppercase and features six weights, ranging from Thin to Bold. It includes a full set of numerals, arrows, signs, symbols, and icons—essential elements for environmental signage. Additionally, it incorporates a set of ligatures that pay tribute to the legacy and cultural heritage that inspired it.
