Hidden Gem Rockwell Nova®
WHY ROCKWELL NOVA
Rockwell Nova evokes a feeling of straightforward honesty. Based on the original Rockwell design, it’s an adaptable face that is excellent for branding, headlines and other display uses. The simple shapes and robust serifs of Rockwell Nova also make the lighter weights a good choice for short blocks of text copy in both print and on-screen environments.
ANCESTRY
- The story of Rockwell begins with the London type founder, Vincent Figgins, who released the first successful slab serif typeface in 1815. It was a cap-only design called “Antique” and offered in three sizes. By 1825, more slab serif typefaces appeared, now with lowercase characters.
- The popularity of slab serif designs waxed and then waned again during the first three decades of the twentieth century, until geometric sans serif typefaces became popular. Soon, new slab serif typefaces patterned after geometric shapes began to be released. The Rockwell family, first issued in 1933, is Monotype’s powerful answer to this typographic style.
- Based on the original Monotype Rockwell suite of fonts but meticulously updated to current standards, Rockwell Nova is an exceptionally durable design that suggests feelings of frank honesty when set in text composition. It is also an exceptionally versatile display design that can be used for headlines, subheads – virtually any place where a strong typographic presence is required.
PAIRING ROCKWELL NOVA
- Old Style serif designs like ITC Berkeley Old Style, Legacy® Serif, or Galliard® make for dynamic contrasting pairings to Rockwell Nova.
- Geometric sans, such as Futura® Now and ITC Avant Garde Gothic®, also create a typographic counterpoint to Rockwell Nova.
- Typefaces like Metro® Nova and Classic Grotesque create a similar vibe, but also contrast well with Rockwell Nova.
CLASSIC FACTS
- Rockwell’s precursor was a design called Litho Antique, produced by the Inland Type Foundry in 1910. American Type Founders revived the face in the 1920s, with Morris Fuller Benton cutting several new weights. The Monotype Corporation produced its version of Rockwell in 1933
- The capital “O” in Rockwell is a perfect circle, which is rare in serif typefaces. Geometric construction is a hallmark of the design.
