Author
Laura Meseguer
Creation
2016
Actual version
1
Styles
20
Character sets
Basic Latin
Latin-1 Supplement
Latin-2 Central European
Latin Plus
License Types
Desktop, Webfont, ePub, App, Server
Description
Multi is the first extensive family created by Laura Meseguer. It was originally commissioned by the publisher of Dutch regional newspapers in 2011, with the aim to match the serif typefaces used for a comprehensive layout overhaul project supervised by editorial art director Luis Mendo. The keywords provided by the client were unequivocal: warm, dynamic, optimistic, friendly, human…
Two series were designed, Multi Text (two weights, roman & italic) and Multi Headline (six weights, roman). Since the completion of this first version, Laura Meseguer has considerably expanded the character set and the family, and implemented a few modifications: Multi Text now comprises three weights (roman & italic) and Multi Headline was renamed Multi Display (seven weights, roman & italic). Like most of Laura’s typefaces —Rumba, Magasin, Lalola—, vitality bursts forth from Multi. It has a distinctive ‘phrasing’ (in the musical sense), neither humanist nor glyphic, somewhere in between, exploring uncharted territory. Its design is pragmatic, yet not rigid, slightly tinged with tiny incised touches.
This is clearly noticeable in Multi Display: the roman lowercase’s asymmetric stems are very softly tapered, with bevelled, sharp upstrokes. Furthermore, all weights consistently share these idiosyncrasies from Thin to Poster. With its lower contrast, wider proportions, shorter ascenders and descenders, Multi Text was purposely adjusted to meet all the requirements of a legible typeface, in paper and screen. It also has a few new features, such as the outstrokes of the roman ‘l’ and the italic ‘a’, which bring a subtle calligraphic feel to the text flow.
Production: Joancarles Casasín and Noe Blanco
Further information
Prizes & Mentions
Favourite typefaces of 2016 at Typographica
Reviewed by Yves Peters
Hosted webfonts
TypeNetwork
Free trials and desktop rentals
Multi Display at Fontstand
Multi Text at Fontstand
Tags
Display, Display & Text, Editorial Design, On Screen, Optical sizes, Sans Serif, Text