Marr Sans

The influence of Scotland in typefounding belies the nation’s small size. Marr Sans, a characterful grotesque design, was inspired by a typeface from the 1870s found in the work of James Marr & Co. in Edinburgh, successors to Alexander Wilson & Sons. From a few lines in three sizes, and only one weight, Paul Barnes and Dave Foster have expanded the family from Thin to Bold, plus an Ultra Black weight, a wider companion to the six lighter weights.

While Graphik and Atlas represent the greater homogenity of twentieth century sans serifs, Marr, like Druk, revels in the individuality of the nineteenth century, and can be seen as a quirky British counterpart to the more rigid and structured German grotesks and American gothics, like Akzidenz Grotesk and Franklin Gothic. Marr Sans is suited for a wide range of applications, from corporate to editorial design, that require a sharp and distinctive taste.