WOBURN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rugged yet playful, the Kairos™ typeface family introduced today by Monotype is a contemporary take on “Grecians” – octagonal slab serifs that first became popular in America way back in the 1800s as metal and wood types, famous for their dimensional qualities with lettering that was beveled, shadowed or faceted. Fast forward to 2015, and the spirit of 19th century Grecians are back in this latest typeface release. Designed by Terrance Weinzierl of the Monotype Studio, the full-bodied Kairos lends an industrial, sporty feel to a wide range of applications, from branding and packaging to hipster commerce, consumer goods, sports communications, video games, websites and apps. Monotype Imaging Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: TYPE), is a leading provider of typefaces, technology and expertise for creative applications and consumer devices.
Kairos is Greek for “opportunity,” which is exactly what Weinzierl saw when he set out to design the typeface. It wasn’t so much to pay homage to its slab-serif, Victorian-era roots, but rather to build a display family with versatility and selection – and play up the flavor of an octagonal look in a modern, digital form. Weinzierl had already been experimenting with the style when he received requests in quick succession from three separate clients looking for a hard-edged, octagonal typeface. It was the green light he needed to fully focus on a robust, multi-weight version for the Monotype® library. “The opportunity was right,” he said. “Kairos identifies with today’s resurgence of craftsmanship, along with the do-it-yourself attitude that’s in vogue.”
Weinzierl continued, “Kairos is more of a jersey than a suit or a cutting board instead of a whisk. Certain brands are looking for something more coarse but not dirty. Something that’s not so sleek. Kairos fits that look.”
Display typeface families usually have a limited number of weights, but Kairos is an exception, offering 51 weights that comprise an extensive range of condensed and extended selections, from thin to black, all with corresponding italics and small caps. Kairos also includes display weights that can be layered – opening up even more creative possibilities, such as layering colors with the highlight weight on top of the solid weight, or using the shadow weight for one of the color applications. Thanks to its square, geometric form, Kairos is pliable and malleable, providing a high level of flexibility for designers to change weights and widths with ease – and find the right fit.
Throughout its history, Monotype has added new typefaces to its collection born from customers’ design requests. Kairos is one of those designs – inspired by customers from across different industries looking for a strong, athletic, octagonal design that can be used in a wide variety of settings in both digital and print.
What designers are saying about Kairos
“Kairos is an incredible, robust typeface which could work well in many areas with design, in particular bespoke branding and packaging – I would love to try it using traditional processes and print techniques.” – Pete Rossi, Founder and Creative Director of RM&CO
“51 weights! Oh joy! And as if that wasn’t enough, Kairos works well for display and for body copy, which is rare and incredibly useful.” – Bonnie Siegler, Founder and Creative Director, Eight and a Half
“Kairos lives in a geometric world, whether it be online or print it will lend itself to any and all environments because it can play nice with a lot of typefaces. I love the Kairos family because there is a weight for anything I need, from thin and beautiful to black and bold.” – Katt Phatt, Visual Communicator
“Kairos has this weight to it and a bit of an anti-authoritarian feel, much like a constructed version of a demonstration-poster-typeface.” – Mads Jakob Poulsen, Creative Director, Siegel+Gale
Availability
The Kairos typeface family comprises 51 weights and may be licensed as either desktop fonts or Web fonts from MyFonts, Fonts.com and Linotype.com. All subscribers to Fonts.com Web Fonts paid plans also have access to the new fonts as Web fonts, while Pro, Master and desktop add-on subscribers can also work with the family as desktop fonts. Kairos is also available through the Membership by Monotype subscription program.
Kairos is available at $49 for a single font, or $499 for the full family. An introductory $99 promotion is available for the Pro version through Sept. 18, 2015, when licensing the entire Kairos typeface family of desktop fonts from www.myfonts.com, www.fonts.com or www.linotype.com.
About the Monotype Libraries
The Monotype® Libraries feature the typeface collections from individual, historical libraries, including Monotype, Linotype, FontFont, ITC, Ascender and Bitstream. With over 25,000 typeface designs supporting more than 250 Latin and non-Latin languages, the Monotype Libraries represent one of the world’s largest, trusted and continuously expanding inventories of typefaces, offering a rich blend of timeless classics and innovative designs.
About Monotype
Monotype is a leading global provider of typefaces, technology and expertise that enable the best user experience and ensure brand integrity. Headquartered in Woburn, Mass., Monotype provides customers worldwide with typeface solutions for a broad range of creative applications and consumer devices. The company’s libraries and e-commerce sites are home to many of the most widely used typefaces – including the Helvetica®, Frutiger® and Univers® families – as well as the next generation of type designs. Further information is available at www.monotype.com. Follow Monotype on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Monotype, Helvetica and Frutiger are trademarks of Monotype Imaging Inc. registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Kairos is a trademark of Monotype Imaging Inc. and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Univers is a trademark of Monotype GmbH registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2015 Monotype Imaging Holdings Inc. All rights reserved.
