Designed by Malou Verlomme of the Monotype Studio, Macklin is a superfamily, which brings together several attention-grabbing styles. Macklin is an elegant, high contrast typeface that demands its own attention and has been designed purposely to enable brands to appeal more emotionally to modern consumers. Macklin comprises four sub-families —Sans, Slab, Text and Display— as well as a variable. The full superfamily includes 54 fonts with 9 weights ranging from hairline to black. The concept for Macklin began with research on historical material from Britain and Europe in the beginning of the 19th century, specifically the work of Vincent Figgins. This was a period of intense social change--the beginning of the industrial revolution. A time when manufacturers and advertisers were suddenly replacing traditional handwriting or calligraphy models and demanding bold, attention-grabbing typography. Typographers experimented with innovative new styles, like fat faces and Italians, and developed many styles that brands and designers continue to use today, such as slabs, serifs, and sans serifs. Verlomme pays respect to Figgins’s work with Macklin, but pushes the family to a more contemporary place. Each sub family has been designed from the same skeleton, giving designers a broad palette for visual representation and the ability to create with contrast without worrying about awkward pairings. With Macklin, Verlomme shows us it’s possible to create a superfamily that allows for complete visual expression without compromising fluidity.

Sometimes the way forward is simplicity. That goes for your personal life as well as designing. Sometimes what catches the eye is something simple. My Comforting Sounds font is a handmade sans serif font. It has a crunchy line, an organic look and legibility even at very small sizes. And in a charming way, it is quite simple!

“More is better” may have been the motto of Richard Austin of Austin and Son’s Imperial Letter-Foundry on Worship Street at Finsbury Square in London when he designed and cut his Antique typeface. The year it was created is uncertain, but it is known to have appeared in a specimen book produced in 1827. At first glance, the upper case letters of Austin Antique look very much like Figgins Antique. But, upon examination, one will note that the Austin face is much darker. In general, the letters designed and cut by Richard Austin have fatter strokes, larger serifs and smaller counters -- more metal and less daylight. The premise was that the darker the letter, the more attention an ad using the typeface would receive. In old pictures of London and Paris one may see walls crowded with posters and “bills” -- competing for the attention of the passerby. Morris and Updike aside, the early nineteenth century marked the beginning of a commercial as well as industrial revolution. Patterns of commerce were changing. With new methods of marketing came the need for new typefaces to support the new methods. Foundries found the display types were very profitable and competed most energetically and creatively for the trade. There was a lot of trial-and-error. Some ideas faded away. Others, like the Antiques or Egyptians, were refined and developed. From them came the Clarendons that were to prove both popular and long lasting -- because they worked. Their job was to sell goods, not please the aesthetic sensibilities of the critics. They did their job well. Austin Antique has a full Western European character set, plus the following ligatures: ct, st, fi, fl, ff, ffi and ffl. Tabular numbers. Surprisingly readable.