History
For the History Channel typeface, we were tasked with creating a serif design that was sturdy, contemporary and highly functional.
The client’s design group had been using Rotis Serif as their working placeholder typeface; and while this design did bring a contemporary feel, it also has some notable quirks that are too distinctive and distracting. As such, our goal was to create a design with more transparency: meaning individual letters (such as the “C" in Rotis) would not be calling undue attention to themselves. As always, we drew an original design from sketches up, making sure that the new property captured the general qualities desired by the client, while also inflecting subtly unique characteristics into the design.
During the development and drafting phases, we carefully rebalanced the overall weight and proportions so that it would be perfect for the History Channel’s on-screen visuals and other materials. The resulting typeface, a Neo-Transitional Serif, harks back to old-world aesthetics, which is ideal for the History Channel — while bringing unflourished, contemporary styling: a subtle visual reminder that we are always viewing history from the present moment.
