Sentinel
Hoefler & Co · Jonathan Hoefler, Tobias Frere-Jones · 2009
A Clarendon-style slab serif drawn to fix the historical gaps, with italics across six weights and an optical cut for text and screen.
About
A slab-serif family by Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones that reworks the Clarendon tradition into a complete, modern typographic system. Sentinel borrows the contrasting thicks and thins of the Antique style but trades its frumpier mannerisms for contemporary detail, and unlike most Clarendons it carries italics across the full range. Six weights run from Light to Black, with short-ranging figures and language coverage tuned for text, and a Sentinel ScreenSmart cut handles small sizes on screen. Reach for it on editorial features, identity work, packaging and information design that wants the warmth of a slab serif with the discipline of a modern text family.
Classification
H&Co describe Sentinel as a fresh take on the classical slab serif, addressing the shortcomings of Geometrics, Antiques and Clarendons by providing italics across the full range, a working text family and a consistent progression of weights.