January 2009
The 12-font Egyptian Slate typeface family is the latest addition to the Monotype library from Monotype Imaging Holdings, a provider of text imaging solutions.
Created by type designer, Rod McDonald, and based on his Slate design, Egyptian Slate fonts are available for viewing, licensing and downloading from the company’s e-commerce sites.
“A slab serif design, Egyptian Slate has a straightforward, honest quality that will shine in everything from advertising headlines to corporate identity,” said Allan Haley, Director of words and letters at Monotype Imaging. “Egyptian Slate is yet another design from Rod that will prove its worth in a variety of text and display applications.”
“A serif complement to the Slate family was a natural addition,” said McDonald, an award-winning Canadian type designer with more than 50 fonts in the Monotype library.
“I began developing the first sketches well before the release of the original Slate design. After a number of trials incorporating different serif designs, it became apparent that a slab serif version would be the best route to take.”
Slab serif typefaces, characterized by thick, blocky serifs, are also known as Egyptian typefaces. The introduction of slab serif metal types in the early 1800s coincided with a fascination with Egyptian artifacts.
“People in Europe and North America were attracted to all things Egyptian, whether they were authentic or not. This trend has been credited to Napoleon’s Egyptian expedition and publications of the time that depicted images from Egypt. Perhaps slab serif typefaces got caught up in the craze, but it’s a fitting description – and a great name for Rod’s typeface,” said Haley.
McDonald also serves as a Design Fellow at Monotype Imaging, collaborating one-on-one with staff designers to create new fonts exclusive to the company. In the case of Egyptian Slate, McDonald drew the six roman weights but worked with Monotype Imaging’s Carl Crossgrove to design the italic counterparts. Crossgrove had also collaborated with McDonald to create the condensed range of Slate fonts.
McDonald’s 12-font Slate family, released exclusively to the Monotype library in 2006, was inspired by his interest and research on legibility. Crossgrove’s six condensed fonts were added in 2007.
Slate fonts may also be licensed by consumer electronics device manufacturers and developers requiring fonts that display with high legibility.
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