Rockwell

Designer: Monotype staff // Foundry: Lanston Monotype Corporation, Monotype Imaging // Country of origin: United States

Release years: 1933–1934 // Classification: Geometric Slab

Rockwell is a 1930s interpretation of what is considered the first Geometric Slab serif, Litho Antique, an American design from 1910. This provenance contributes to Rockwell’s older flavor, which is more rugged than the more modernist slabs like Memphis (its main competitor at the time), Lubalin Graph (the seriffed version of ITC Avant Garde Gothic), and recent releases Archer and Neutraface Slab. Rockwell is slightly uneven with bold weights that stray much further from the regular than current users would expect. In certain respects it looks clumsy, but in an earnest way. So, while most Geometric Slabs seem machined, Rockwell feels handmade, and designers often pick it up when they really need something more polished.