Hikmet Melis Gures

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About the Typeface

Telve is a whimsical display typeface inspired by the symbolic images left behind in Turkish coffee cups during fortune-telling rituals. Each letterform merges classic type anatomy with cultural motifs—serpents for transformation, the evil eye for protection, cats for mystery, birds for messages, and trees for growth.

Inspiration

The swirling patterns and symbolic residues left inside a Turkish coffee cup (used in traditional fortune telling) are both mysterious and culturally rich. My inspiration comes from this practice; especially the abstract, animalistic, and symbolic imagery that appears when reading a coffee cup.

I believe this font is intended to be expressive and can be used as a display typeface. 

Turkish coffee fortune-telling has been a part of our culture for centuries. It’s not just about seeing the future; it’s about sharing a moment and connecting with friends and family. The practice of reading the grounds has been passed down from generation to generation, turning into a tradition.

This typeface tells a visual story. Rather than just crafting letterforms, I sought to build an alphabet of symbols—a graphic language rooted in heritage and intuition.

Design Process

I began by sketching the most commonly interpreted symbols in traditional coffee readings. Working by hand allowed me to tap into their organic, imperfect shapes. I then experimented with integrating those forms into letter structures—snakes forming stems and spines, cats shaping counters, and eyes taking the place of bowls and terminals.

Each letter was carefully designed to retain legibility while conveying spiritual and folkloric significance. The result is a bold, curvilinear display font intended for use in branding, editorial work, packaging, and storytelling projects.

Challenges

At first, I tried to build the letters entirely from real shapes I found in coffee cups. For example, I found a symbol that resembled the letter “M” and tried to vectorize it. But I quickly realized that finding every single letter this way would be nearly impossible. 

Then I tried mimicking them more freely, but it started to feel like I was losing the authenticity of the symbols. So eventually, I took a sharp turn: instead of forcing each symbol to match a letter, I shifted the focus and began shaping each letter inspired by the most commonly seen symbols in coffee grounds.

Typeface Features

• Style: Display / Decorative Sans Serif
• Inspiration: Turkish coffee fortune-telling, folk symbolism
• Key Motifs: Evil eye, serpent, cat, tree, bird
• Use Case: Packaging, posters, tarot cards, editorial titles, boutique branding
• Pairing Font: Raleway (or any minimal sans-serif for contrast)

Poster Highlights

• Hand-drawn alphabet with symbol integration
• Subtle textures and earthy tones reference the grounding ritual of drinking coffee
• Decorative illustrations (like the swirling snake and coffee cup) subtly support the story
• Full A–Z display + a paragraph in a readable pairing font

Reflection

This was one of the most fulfilling and intimate types of projects I’ve created. It allowed me to blend ancestral memory with modern design and challenged me to explore storytelling through symbols. I wanted to build not just letters—but a mood, a memory, and a bit of magic.

Let’s Collaborate

Want to license Telve, commission custom display fonts, or collaborate on a project rooted in storytelling and culture?