Monotype today unveiled the Macklin typeface superfamily, designed by Malou Verlomme of the Monotype Studio. Macklin is a typeface that demands attention and enables brands to appeal more emotionally to modern consumers. The superfamily includes four sub families (Sans, Slab, Text and Display), with weights from hairline to black, totaling 54 styles. The complete superfamily can also be accessed as variable fonts. Macklin’s sharp and elegant forms perfectly encapsulate the needs of a full visual identity system, making it ideal for a wide range of brands from editorial publications to luxury, beauty and even packaging design.
Macklin was inspired by the work of 19th century British typographer Vicent Figgins. Figgins was influential at a time when typography was transformed by the appearance of job printing and advertising, which unleashed a new era of stylistic experimentation. Macklin synthesizes Figgins’ body of work into a single, comprehensive type system. Each sub family has been designed with the same underlying skeleton, allowing designers to get creative with contrast and expression without worrying about awkward pairings.
“Macklin is not a historical typeface. In fact, I went through several stages of ‘de-historization’ during the design process,” said Malou Verlomme, senior type designer at Monotype. “While keeping the basic structure intact, all the historical details have been removed, even the iconic teardrop terminals. The result is a contemporary family that offers a large palette for branding and editorial needs.”
Verlomme continued, “When I settled on the current form of Macklin, I focused on the needs of today’s designer: A sans for everyday needs; a sturdy slab that stands out; a text for longer reading; and a display for large, crisp headings.”
What creative professionals are saying about Macklin.
“Macklin is lovely. I do like a super family. I know a lot of people scratch their heads when trying to pair fonts, and super families answer that conundrum so I’d imagine designers will respond well to a family that includes such diversity. I also like its humanity and character. It’s got warmth without being quirky. It’ll stand the test of time.” — Richard Weston, senior interpretation designer, Tandem Design
“We’re big Macklin fans! The numerals two and seven are a thing of beauty. However, the main thing we noted was how it’s only when you start to compare individual characters, that you actually appreciate the continuity across all four sub families.” — Ash O’Brien, partner, Two of Us
“Macklin captures that moment between straightforward printing faces and the boom of advertising and the industrial era. But it’s not a revival or a classic. It’s got the Malou twist on what modernity is now.” — James Fooks-Bale, Monotype senior director, brand, Monotype.
Pricing & Availability
Single weights of the Macklin typeface are available now for $/£49 or €55 each. The complete superfamily (54 fonts) or variable package (4 fonts) are available for $/€199 or £169.
Macklin is immediately available through Mosaic®, Monotype’s cloud-based font discovery, collaboration and management solution. It can also be purchased through MyFonts.com, Fonts.com, Linotype.com, and Fontshop.com with an introductory promotion of 75 percent off for the first 90 days. Download Macklin Sans Extra Light and Macklin Slab Extra Bold at no cost through July 27th, 2020.
The Macklin superfamily, sub families, variable font and individual typefaces are also available with a variety of licensing options for customers through Monotype enterprise sales.
To learn more about the Macklin typeface, visit the specimen page.