The Markant family of typefaces engage the contemporary challenges of news typography. Newspapers struggle to stay an attractive proposition to the public. Competition from online sources is strong, and there is no doubt that distribution via the Internet is the future. This has led to a loss of control over the typographical design, as requirements to be compatible with a host of devices, dictate setting the bar for the lowest common denominator.
Especially typography – the key element of conveying content – has suffered tremendously. Web browsers have until now not been able to use typefaces outside of their operating system. This is changing as you read this. The newest generation of browsers now allow designers to specify custom typefaces and use them in browsers, ensuring an elevation of typographical quality closer to that of printed matters.
The Markant typeface family is designed to perform in legibility, economy of setting and distinct tone of voice, both in print and on any type of screen.
Markant means distinct or marked. A quality somewhat counter to the goals of typographic design. This field between the duly expected and the excitement of novelty has to be navigated with care, especially in the field of text faces. Newspaper body-copy typefaces are within a narrow field mostly driven by quantitative measures like economy of setting and legibility. Some newspapers do however try to communicate an identity even in the design or choice of their body copy text typeface. With screens as the new medium, I have tried to design a text face that both establishes a tone of voice, as well as meeting some of the requirements for typefaces for screens.
The specimens of this years University of Reading's MA in Typeface design students are now online. Enjoy my typeface design specimen and essay alongside the designs of Amélie Bonet, Camille Boulouis, Antonio Cavedoni, Dave Crossland, Crystian Cruz, Gro Janarv, Lilith Laborey, Deema Merdad, Julia Petretta, Jonny Pinhorn, Émilie Rigaud, Anette Schmidt, Eben Sorkin, and Gesine Todt.