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ABOUT

Colophon Foundry [Edd Harrington]

Colophon Foundry was a London and Los Angeles-based digital type foundry established in 2009. Its members comprised Benjamin Critton (US), Edd Harrington (UK), and Anthony Sheret (UK). The foundry's commissioned work in type design was complemented by independent and interdependent initiatives in editorial design, publishing, curation, and pedagogy. It grew out of the Brighton-based design studio, The Entente (Anthony Sheret&Edd Harrington) in April 2009. Benjamin Critton (Brooklyn, NY) joined them later. In December 2023, it was acquired by Monotype.

Fonts:

• Aperçu (2010, +Mono), a sans family by Anthony Sheret / The Entente.
• Archive (2013). A text family by Anthony Sheret and Edd Harrington.
• Basis Grotesque (2015). Influenced by Akzidenz Grotesk.
• Burgess (2014). A Times-Roman-like typeface family by The Entente and Benjamin Critton.
• Castledown (2014). A sans family for educational purposes. They write: From 2012-2014 we collaborated closely with Castledown Primary School, Hastings, UK. The project began as a custom typeface commission for the school but soon developed into an initiative to develop and unify typography within primary education. Extended in 2020.
• Central Avenue (2011). By Studio Makgill.
• Coign (2018-2021). An extensive study of ultra condensed forms based on the DeLittle type foundry's Elongated Sans.
• DM Mono (2020). A free 3 weight, 3 style family designed for DeepMind. DM Mono was loosely based off of Jonny Pinhorn's DM Sans, with a reduction in contrast and less geometric proportions. The type design and font development was commissioned from Colophon Foundry, with Creative Direction from the DeepMind team. Design by Edd Harrington and Anthony Sheret. They also developed DM Sans, DM Serif Text and DM Serif Display (2019). The Serif families are derived from Source Serif Pro. The Sans family is derived from Jonny Pinhorn's Poppins (2014-2017). Github link. Google Fonts link.
• Fann Grotesque (2019). A 9-weight sans family inspired by the 19th century British Grotesque types from British type foundries such as Stephenson Blake, Day & Collins and Miller & Richard.
• Fortescue (2009): a text family with triangular serifs commissioned for the identity of artist and printmaker, Jake Spicer.
• La Fabrique Pro (2012-2017). A sans by The Entente.
• Goodall. A 10-style take on the geometric slab serif genre; bringing together a melting pot of 19th century wood type influences and more contemporary reference points such as Memphis (Rudolf Wolf, 1929) and Rockwell (Monotype, 1934).
• Grenette (2020). Colophon writes: Combining influences from Windsor (from Stephenson Blake & Co's Wood Letter Specimen, 1915) and Richmond Old Style (from DeLittle's Wood Type Specimens, 1966), Grenette's imposing serifs contrast with the serif-less interiors of certain forms such as n, h and v.
• Leroy (2012). By Stockholm-based Oscar & Ewan.
• Lisbon (2013, Anthony Burrill). Lisbon is a geometric stencil typeface based on an original metal stencil that Burrill found in a sign makers shop in Lisbon, Portugal. The font was first used in a series of posters commissioned by the British Council for Experimenta cultural biennale in Lisbon (2010).
• Lydia Bold Condensed (2013, Benjamin Critton) revives an angular typeface by Warren Chappell from 1946.
• Mabry (2018, Benjamin Critton): Originally commissioned in 2014 for Los Angeles-based apparel company Nasty Gal---named as such after the 1975 album and song of the same name by influential funk singer Betty Davis (b. Betty Mabry, 1945)---Mabry is the commercial iteration of the former NG Grotesque.
• MAD Sans and MAD Serif (2011-2017) by Dries Wiewauters.
• Marché (2014). By The Entente, inspired by Eurostile.
• Midnight sans (2021). Colophon writes: Midnight Sans was initially drawn for Gary Green's "When Midnight Comes Around", published by our friends at Stanley/Barker in 2020. The condensed-only style embodied a warm but idiosyncratic flavour: a reflection of the publication's photographs, which document the burgeoning downtown alternative music scene of 1970s New York City.
• Monosten (2011). A rounded monospace sans by Anthony Sheret that includes a couple of stencil styles.
• Montefiore (2009): a grotesque with wood type influences.
• One Night Sans (2020). A bespoke typeface for condom manufacturer Durex.
• Pantograph: Pantograph is an authentic redraw of the typeface employed by the British pantograph etching process. Designed by Hamish Makgill in 2009.
• Peggs (2009): typewriter style for the identity of Peggs&Son, designed by Edd Harrington.
• PDU (2010). By Dries Wiewauters. PDU stands for Plaque Découpée Universelle, a stencil system patented in 1876 by Joseph A. David.
• Perçu (2010): a full sans family that is---in their own words---an amalgamation of classic humanist typefaces such as Johnston and Gill Sans with Neuzeit and Franklin Gothic.
• Perfin (2009, by Alison Haigh).
• PIN (2015). By Hoon Kim / Why Not Smile LLC.
• Raisonné (2010). By Benjamin Critton. Raisonné is a 7-weight geometric sans-serif type initially designed in 2010 and subsequently expanded upon, first in 2012 and again in 2018-2019. Colophon writes: The typeface is parodic-serious, intended to be blunt, candid, and affable all at the same time. It outwardly pays homage to noteworthy precedents, among them Rudolf Koch's Kabel (1927) and Victor Caruso's later redrawing for ITC (1976), Joseph Churchward's Crossbred (1970s), Paul Renner's Futura (also 1927), and Herb Lubalin's Avant Garde (1968).
• Reader (2009): Reader is a neo-grotesque typeface initially created in a medium weight, and now re-cut into a base family of six weights with an additional seventh in the form of Reader Black. The typeface itself has been referenced from an RSPB letter dating 1972. The original typeface, which is unknown, was a monospaced, rounded face. It had geometric proportions which felt like they wanted to break free of the restrictions of a monospaced grid.
• Relative (2011). By The Entente: Initially drawn in August 2010 for Outside In by Stephen Gill; a book designed for the Brighton Photo Biennale 2010. Includes monospaced styles.
• System85 (+Mono). A sans family.
• Transcript Pro (2017).
• Value Sans and Value Serif (2012): Value Sans borrows in style and behaviour from precedents like Elegant Grotesk and Granby. Value Serif pays homage to forebears like Plantin Infant and Italian Old Style. The Sans was drawn first by The Entente (Edd Harrington & Anthony Sheret, UK). The Serif was drawn shortly after, by Benjamin Critton (US). Each borrows their geometries from the other, and nuances were finalised by all parties as Colophon Foundry.
• Visuelt (2013-2016, The Entente). Originally created as a bespoke face for the 2013 and 2014 identity for Visuelt, Oslo, Norway, Visuelt spawned from a more considered and constrained version of Aperçu. Visult Pro (2019) covers Cyrillic and Greek as well.

Bespoke projects:

• Battlebridge for the area of King's Cross, London (2016).
• Burberry Apercu Bespoke (2010-2017).
• Chelsea Basis (2015) and Chelsea Basis Chiselled (2018). For FC Chelsea.
• Corona Headline for Corona (2016).
• Europa Nuova & Europa Mono (2016). For UEFA's Europa League.
• Fanta Playful for Fanta (2017).
• Fulham First XI & Substitute XI for Fulham Football Club (2013). Stencil types.
• FQ Value for New Covent Garden Market (2016).
• GF Smith for paper manufacturer and merchant G.F. Smith (2014).
• Grey Goose for the French Vodka Producer (2014).
• Helen for Race Against Dementia (2016).
• Mondial for Rapha's Magazine (2015).
• NG Grotesque for LA-based fashion label, Nasty Gal, with Benjamin Critton (2014).
• Poynings, for printer Generation Press (2014).
• Tesco Modern, Tesco Modern Condensed, Tesco Slab and Tesco Serif for supermarket chain Tesco (2016-2017).
• Ubisoft Sans for French games publisher, Ubisoft (2016).
• Unify for the English Rugby Football Union (2013).
• Wales and Cymru Sans for Visit Wales / Welsh Government (2015).

EXTERNAL LINKS
Colophon Foundry
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INTERNAL LINKS
Type designers ⦿ Type designers ⦿ Commercial fonts (small outfits) ⦿ Typewriter fonts ⦿ Type design in the United Kingdom ⦿ Type scene in New York ⦿ Wood Type ⦿ Akzidenz Grotesk ⦿ Corporate typefaces ⦿ Soccer typefaces ⦿ Stencil fonts ⦿ Monospaced fonts ⦿ Welsh type scene ⦿ Sites with only a few free fonts ⦿ School fonts ⦿