Municipal Grotesque
Primary Foundry · Jonathan Maghen
A fixed-width grotesque drawn from stamped metal utility dies and Los Angeles concrete covers, with a nod to Müller-Brockmann's 1973 Candia for Olivetti.
About
Jonathan Maghen's Municipal Grotesque takes its proportions from the metal dies used by public and private utilities to stamp outdoor materials, filtering that source through the even spacing of Müller-Brockmann's Candia. The single Light cut references the lightweight letterforms found on utility covers across Los Angeles, giving it a specific civic and industrial register. With 122 glyphs covering basic Latin, lining figures, alternates and punctuation, it is a tightly scoped tool with a clear point of view.
Classification
Described explicitly as a fixed-width sans-serif, drawing from stamped metal utility dies and Müller-Brockmann's Candia; the monospaced construction and industrial sans character place it firmly in the fixed-width grotesque subcategory.