An ode to, and potential replacement for, Arial, Robin draws on the ubiquitous design of the modern Sans-Serif to encapsulate a pared-back aesthetic that feels familiar yet distinctive. Certain letterforms, such as the «a» and «t», take their geometries and proportions from Arial, but have been updated to improve balance and consistency.
Arial’s ever growing popularity and usage has led to it being referenced as a benchmark for neutrality. Named after Robin Nicholas, one of the designers of Arial in 1982, Robin looks to build on this neutral tone, allowing for further flexibility and accented character. As such, the typeface uses OpenType features to convey the same neutral aesthetic in a variety of guises:
— Alternate curved vs. straight forms, such as «R» and «Q» — Square vs. round dots on «i» and «j» and punctuation (. , “ ” ! ?)
Further features include a set of icons or “WingDings”. Each character (A through Z) is replaced with a re-imagining of the ubiquitous “WingDings” font sets, offering a contemporary take on the iconography in a paired back, neutral aesthetic to match Robin’s design. Each icon is supplied in two states: A default outlined state and a further filled variant and can either be manually selected or activated through replacement mode: where words are replaced through typing a specific string e.g. :smiling:
Robin is available in four weights — Regular, Medium, SemiBold & Bold — with corresponding Italics and is available for licensing in both Standard (‘STD’) and Professional (‘PRO’) versions. The PRO variant contains extensive OpenType features and emojis.