The designer Gregory Gray created the font in 1995. ITC Matisse was designed as Gray was designing an editorial layout for Madame Figaro, a supplement to the Paris newspaper Figaro. While working on a feature on the work of Matisse, Gray created a typeface with paper and an X-Acto knife, then scanned the cutouts into a computer. The style of the design comes in part from Gray's passion for African art, with its contrasts between flat areas and protruding surfaces. Matisse is ideal for offbeat display applications and initial capitals. ITC Matisse is part of the Linotype Library. ITC Matisse is a trademark of International Typeface Corporation.