Monotype Imaging Inc., a leading global provider of text imaging solutions, has announced a Design Fellowship program that will pair internal typeface designers with established freelancers to create new fonts exclusive to the company. Rod McDonald, an award-winning designer with 50 fonts to his credit in the Monotype® Library, has been named as the first Design Fellow.
“Rod is an outstanding designer who has shown excellence in his work over several years,” said Allan Haley, director of words and letters at Monotype Imaging. “He is also committed to improving the art and craft of typeface design through education and outreach.”
As a Design Fellow, McDonald will collaborate with Monotype Imaging’s senior design staff to create typefaces including revivals first released as metal type in the early part of the 20th century. McDonald will also mentor Monotype Imaging designers who are in the earlier stages of their careers.
“One of our goals is to resurrect and carry on a tradition that began years ago, with similar collaborative relationships resulting in typefaces such as the Centaur®, Haarlemmer®, and Dante® designs – all available from the Monotype Library. Some, such as the Gill Sans® family, remain popular.”
Beginning as a lettering artist in the 1960s and eventually switching to typeface design, McDonald has worked as an educator, historian and writer. He has designed typefaces for companies such as Mono Lino Typesetting and Cooper & Beatty typesetting, both in Toronto. McDonald’s alphabets, wordmarks and symbols have been used by organizations ranging from General Motors and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa to “Maclean’s” and “Toronto Life” magazines. He has taught at the Ontario College of Art & Design in Toronto and NSCAD University in Halifax. McDonald was a founding member of the Type Club of Toronto and is a member of The Society of Typographic Aficionados, where he has served on its board of directors.
“This is a real honor,” said McDonald. “I love all aspects of typography – from studying, teaching and mentoring to bringing new typefaces to life and revitalizing great designs of the past. This program underscores Monotype Imaging’s commitment to bring forward new typefaces and revivals, which will ultimately enrich the world’s typographic landscape.”
In 2003, McDonald’s Laurentian™ typeface, available from Monotype Imaging’s Fonts.com™ store, earned an award at the annual typographic competition of the New York Type Directors Club. The face had been commissioned by “Maclean’s” magazine as part of a design project to refresh the 96-year-old publication.
One of McDonald’s newer designs, the six-font Slate™ family released in 2006, was inspired by McDonald’s interest and research on legibility. Available to graphic communicators from Fonts.com, the faces may also be licensed by consumer electronics device manufacturers and developers requiring fonts that display with high legibility. The Slate fonts are part of Monotype Imaging’s ESQ® Mobile™ (Enhanced Screen Quality) collection of typefaces optimized for on-screen use, such as mobile phone user interfaces where legibility is often considered essential.
Monotype Imaging will appoint Design Fellows on a periodic basis. Each is expected to serve for at least two years.
About Monotype Imaging
Monotype Imaging is a global provider of text imaging solutions for manufacturers and developers of consumer electronics devices including laser printers, copiers, mobile phones, digital televisions, set-top boxes, digital cameras and software applications and operating systems. The company also provides printer drivers and color imaging technologies to OEMs (original equipment manufacturers). Monotype Imaging technologies are combined with access to more than 9,000 typefaces from the Monotype®, Linotype® and ITC® typeface libraries – home to some of the world’s most widely used designs, including the Times New Roman, Helvetica and ITC Franklin Gothic™ typefaces. Fonts are licensed to creative and business professionals through custom font design services, direct sales or e-commerce portals. Monotype Imaging offers fonts and industry-standard solutions that support all of the world’s major languages. The company is based in Woburn, Mass., with regional offices in the U.K., Germany (Linotype), Mt. Prospect, Ill., Redwood City, Calif., Boulder, Colo., Japan and China.
Information about Monotype Imaging and its products can be found at www.monotypeimaging.com, www.fonts.com, www.linotype.com, www.monotypefonts.com, www.itcfonts.com, www.customfonts.com, www.fontwise.com, www.fonts.hk and www.faces.co.uk.
This article was last modified on January 9, 2022
This article was first published on December 14, 2007
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