The name says it all. The Classic Grotesque™ typeface family has the timeless attributes of Early Grotesque Typefaces of the 20th century melded with design traits and character proportions that optimize typographic legibility and design versatility.

“When I began my career, one of my favorite Typefaces was Venus,” recalls Rod McDonald. “I also liked the Monotype Grotesques and Akzidenz-Grotesk – although they were not readily available.”

McDonald never lost his fondness for those somewhat rustic and idiosyncratic Early Grotesque typefaces. And while he designed his own sans serif typefaces in the Slate™ and Smart Sans™ families, he also had an enduring desire to bring the distinctive charm of his favorite grotesques into the 21st century.

Then, in 2007, McDonald was honored by being made the first Monotype Design Fellow. In this capacity he would work closely with Monotype and its senior design staff to develop new exclusive typefaces. These would include original designs – and a suite of reimagined typefaces first released in the early part of the last century.