Mendel is a conceptual typeface produced as part of an investigation into the relationship between the perceived personality of typefaces and their visual form.
Concept
Mendel consists of three weights - Friendly, Professional and Formal - each designed to embody a different tone of voice. It is intended to enhance the mood or character of digital content, which can often seem cold and emotionless.
Mendel consists of three weights - Friendly, Professional and Formal - each designed to embody a different tone of voice. It is intended to enhance the mood or character of digital content, which can often seem cold and emotionless.
Design Process
The typeface was created by combining four existing web fonts to create the base letterforms, which were then altered and added to to create the three weights. In this way the weights work together as a family and can be used interchangeably.
Inspired by this process of 'breeding' the typeface, the name Mendel comes from the 19th Century scientist Gregor Mendel, who was the first to theorise the existence of genes.
The typeface was created by combining four existing web fonts to create the base letterforms, which were then altered and added to to create the three weights. In this way the weights work together as a family and can be used interchangeably.
Inspired by this process of 'breeding' the typeface, the name Mendel comes from the 19th Century scientist Gregor Mendel, who was the first to theorise the existence of genes.
Weights
The characteristics of each weight were chosen specifically to create a specific personality. The Friendly weight features heavier and more rounded forms, while the Formal weight is lighter and sharper and the Professional weight sits in between the two.
The characteristics of each weight were chosen specifically to create a specific personality. The Friendly weight features heavier and more rounded forms, while the Formal weight is lighter and sharper and the Professional weight sits in between the two.
Particular technical aspects were chosen for each weight based on research into how the form of a typeface affects its personality. The research book documenting this process can be viewed here.
The different personalities of each weight are each suited to a different tone of voice, which would be used in a range of digital contexts.
Friendly
The Friendly weight is designed to enhance an informal tone of voice or add friendliness to otherwise cold or overly direct content. Potential applications include personal social media and digital communication via email or instant messaging, where the informal content can feel clinical when presented in a standard web font.
The Friendly weight is designed to enhance an informal tone of voice or add friendliness to otherwise cold or overly direct content. Potential applications include personal social media and digital communication via email or instant messaging, where the informal content can feel clinical when presented in a standard web font.
Professional
The Professional weight adds authority to a text while remaining balanced between formality and friendliness. This tone of voice is used extensively within corporate digital media, from public Twitter feeds and blogs to inter-company emailing, making this weight ideal for encapsulating a friendly tone with a corporate agenda.
The Professional weight adds authority to a text while remaining balanced between formality and friendliness. This tone of voice is used extensively within corporate digital media, from public Twitter feeds and blogs to inter-company emailing, making this weight ideal for encapsulating a friendly tone with a corporate agenda.
Formal
The Formal weight is intended to evoke a sense of refinement and restraint, suiting content with a more beaurocratic tone. It would be used to enhance the authority of news or reference articles or add gravitas to official announcements.
The Formal weight is intended to evoke a sense of refinement and restraint, suiting content with a more beaurocratic tone. It would be used to enhance the authority of news or reference articles or add gravitas to official announcements.
Character Set
The character set for each weight includes A-Z upper and lowercase, Western European diacritics, lining figures and basic punctuation.
The character set for each weight includes A-Z upper and lowercase, Western European diacritics, lining figures and basic punctuation.
