slap bang in the middle

Well here we are at the halfway point in this little series dedicated to the avoidance of Helvetica. And, for a while at least, my selection process becomes a little easier (though I suspect that Q is going to prove a tough prospect). But back to the Ms, and first up is the typeface that would rule the world if the world was run by designers of a certain age:

Meta was designed in 1984 by Erik Spiekermann, and originally developed as a commission for a corporate typeface for the Deutsche Bundespost, though it was never adopted for use. Meta was designed to be a readable, sturdy, basic sans serif typeface, working on the postage stamp scale, but also as livery for post boxes and vehicles. Attention was paid to creating a face that was easily readable from an angle, and in smaller point sizes. In 1989 it was digitised and three styles were made by Just van Rossum. In the period 1991 to 1998 a larger typeface family was developed, adding small capitals. Two additional related versions, titled Officina Sans and Officina Serif, were developed for correspondence. The intention was to create a typeface for digital office printing that conveyed the immediacy of strike-on typewriter faces like Courier, Elite, or Orator. A serif version was completed in 2007.

And now to something a little more:

Cut by Monotype between 1900 and 1902, the Monotype Modern font family was based on Miller & Richards News 23 and 28; slightly condensed news text types of the 1890s. Monotype Modern is a lively typeface, with long, fine hairlines and well rounded letterforms, representing the best of nineteenth century modern face design.

Rather lovely, isn't it? I must find an excuse to use it some time.