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 design 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.