Mass-Driver

Mass-Driver

@mass-driver.com

Independent foundry based in The Hague. We make typefaces that are sensitive to the past, but designed for the present. https://mass-driver.com Posts by Rutherford Craze, [type]founder.

1K followers226 following225 posts

Mass-Driver
@mass-driver.com

Type Foundry Directory (typefoundry.directory) is one of the best resources out there for finding independent type designers & foundries. This month, not just the nameplate but the entire site is set in our latest typeface, MD UI — there’s no better specimen than a real-world use case.

Mass-Driver
@mass-driver.com

Last month was the 25 year anniversary of the legalisation of equal marriage in the Netherlands. To mark the occasion, the Dutch Central Bank and the Royal Mint together issued a limited-run €5 coin, designed by Koos Breen and set in my typeface, MD Nichrome.

Mass-Driver
@mass-driver.com

My 2024–26 entries have been loosely imagined as a trilogy, set in a medieval far future. Their descriptions are all 4-line poems (in alt text).

Mass-Driver
@mass-driver.com

Have you used any of our fonts in a live project? If you’re able to share an image or two (or better yet, submit a @fontsinuse.com post!), I’d love to hear what you worked on, and potentially feature it on the next version of our website

Mass-Driver reposted

Ben Fry
@benfry.com

Using a great typeface is like cheating at design because your work instantly gets so much better. After years of mucking, we started using MD System in a prototype. Seeing what the tool *could* look like was a huge motivation to finally make it happen. Once we saw it, we couldn't wait to build it.

Mass-Driver@mass-driver.com

When you design a typeface, there’s always a feeling of “I hope someone does X with it”. For MD System, @fathom.info’s Rowboat is cooler than even my most optimistic goals:

Mass-Driver
@mass-driver.com

When you design a typeface, there’s always a feeling of “I hope someone does X with it”. For MD System, @fathom.info’s Rowboat is cooler than even my most optimistic goals:

Ben Fry@benfry.com

21,689 rows of film data (100 MB file!) and filtering by Director instantaneously on hover. All in the browser, no roundtrip to a server. Just insane what we can do here: rowboat.net/f/7vb8dx84 (I'm actually moving slower in the first half to make it less confusing—second half is actual speed.)

Mass-Driver reposted

Linotype Pilgrim
@symbo1ics.bsky.social

@mass-driver.com has a modern revival of MICR-ish typefaces: polychrome.mass-driver.com #typography

polychrome.mass-driver.comMD Polychrome TypefaceMD Polychrome is a display typeface based on the unique ‘retro high-tech’ aesthetic of Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR), and the pre-digital fonts which it inspired.
F.O.@get-effed.bsky.social

I've never heard of this or of them, but what a fucking brilliant typeface. Very Pearl & Dean

Mass-Driver
@mass-driver.com

For any game developers* caught by the Monotype/Fontworks price hikes: - you can use our fonts for video games - there are no usage caps or renewal fees - unrestricted trial fonts for in-engine testing - smaller dev teams pay less. mass-driver.com *Extended Latin support, but not Japanese, sorry!

Mass-Driver
@mass-driver.com

Made the call last week to push our late 2025 release to early 2026. The delay might be disappointing, but I feel extremely fortunate that we can take as much time as this project needs. In the meantime, here’s a preview of something else I’ve been working on: MD Thermochrome icons

Mass-Driver
@mass-driver.com

A small update: if you’re buying fonts via our website, there’s now an option to apply a 50% student discount without needing to contact us. (You can always use our trial fonts in class without paying anything — this is only for commercial projects, published websites, etc.) mass-driver.com

Mass-Driver
@mass-driver.com

Happy to have been able to contribute some thoughts to @goodspeed.bsky.social’s latest piece for @its-nice-that.bsky.social. It’s great to see an article on design ethics consider type and UX, which generally don’t follow the typical client–agency model. www.itsnicethat.com/features/is-...

itsnicethat.comThe Good, the Bad, and the Iffy: is there such a thing as an ethical designer?Designers from Pentagram, Koto, Creech, and more talk candidly about the murky waters of client selection, the logistics and risks of rejecting work on moral grounds, and how to keep afloat without lo...
Mass-Driver
@mass-driver.com

A small update on web fonts: from today, we’re no longer including the .woff format by default, since browser support for .woff2 is virtually identical (96% vs 96.7%). We’ll continue to provide them on request for any users who need them.

Mass-Driver
@mass-driver.com

In love with the typesetting on these posters, too (mass-driver.com/typefaces/md...)

Mass-Driver@mass-driver.com

Maybe the single best thing about type design is getting to see my fonts used really well (by people with far better graphic design skills than me). Case in point: Aaron Parks’ new album, Little Big III, with cover art set in my typeface MD Nichrome. Designed by Maria Jarzyna.

Mass-Driver reposted

Fontstand
@fontstand.com

This is the final week of collecting responses regarding font users’ opinions on the current state of font licensing. The survey will close on Sunday 6 July at midnight CEST. Once the data has been analysed, we will share the findings publicly. Complete the survey today: fontstand.com/survey

Mass-Driver
@mass-driver.com

What is common knowledge in your field, but shocks outsiders? Fonts regularly take multiple years to make, and developing a small typeface family can easily cost $50k.

Brian LaRossa@brianlarossa.com

What is common knowledge in your field, but shocks outsiders? Despite the technological revolution the book business is healthy and generally stable. People still buy A LOT of books.

Mass-Driver
@mass-driver.com

The type distributor (and organiser of my favourite typography conference), @fontstand.com, is restructuring into a cooperative. It’s hard to overstate how valuable this could be, for foundries, customers, and the health of the whole industry. A font platform owned by independent foundries!