Two big type families
Designed by Jesse Ragan
We had planned to release these two typefaces in 2021, but we didn’t quite make it to the finish line. Although Escalator & Elevator are still under active development, we are offering them immediately for advance licensing.
Escalator & Elevator grew from a client commission to replicate existing signage for the renovation of a landmark New York City skyscraper. They take inspiration from prefabricated letterforms of the 1950s, which manufacturers offered in so-called “Block” and “Futura” styles, by swapping in a few different shapes. Our interpretation increases the distinction between the two styles, pulling from surplus glyphs created for customizations of the design for other clients.
No one really needs another geometric sans, but Escalator & Elevator claim their own aesthetic territories in an abundant genre. Both families are delivered as variable fonts, providing full access to a wide weight range. The optical size axis addresses the specific needs of different type sizes with adjustments to the structure, tapering, and spacing. From small text to the appropriately-named Huge, these typefaces evoke architectural lettering and the era of phototypesetting.
Nathan Ames, a patent attorney from Saugus, Massachusetts, is credited with patenting the first “escalator” in 1859, despite the fact that no working model of his design was ever built. His invention, the “revolving stairs,” is largely speculative and the patent specifications indicate that he had no preference for materials or potential use.
In 1889, Leamon Souder successfully patented the “stairway,” an analogous device that featured a “series of steps and links jointed to each other.” No model was ever built. This was the first of at least four escalator-style patents issued to Souder, including two for spiral designs. On March 15, 1892, Jesse W. Reno patented the “Endless Conveyor or Elevator.” A few months after Reno’s patent was approved, George A. Wheeler patented his ideas for a more recognizable moving staircase, though it was never built. Wheeler’s patents were bought by Charles Seeberger; some features of Wheeler’s designs were incorporated in Seeberger’s prototype that was built by the Otis Elevator Company in 1899. Reno, a graduate of Lehigh University, produced the first working escalator (called the “inclined elevator”) and installed it alongside the Old Iron Pier at Coney Island, New York City in 1896.
In 1889, Leamon Souder successfully patented the “stairway,” an analogous device that featured a “series of steps and links jointed to each other.” No model was ever built. This was the first of at least four escalator-style patents issued to Souder, including two for spiral designs. On March 15, 1892, Jesse W. Reno patented the “Endless Conveyor or Elevator.” A few months after Reno’s patent was approved, George A. Wheeler patented his ideas for a more recognizable moving staircase, though it was never built. Wheeler’s patents were bought by Charles Seeberger; some features of Wheeler’s designs were incorporated in Seeberger’s prototype that was built by the Otis Elevator Company in 1899. Reno, a graduate of Lehigh University, produced the first working escalator (called the “inclined elevator”) and installed it alongside the Old Iron Pier at Coney Island, New York City in 1896.
In 1889, Leamon Souder successfully patented the “stairway,” an analogous device that featured a “series of steps and links jointed to each other.” No model was ever built. This was the first of at least four escalator-style patents issued to Souder, including two for spiral designs. On March 15, 1892, Jesse W. Reno patented the “Endless Conveyor or Elevator.” A few months after Reno’s patent was approved, George A. Wheeler patented his ideas for a more recognizable moving staircase, though it was never built. Wheeler’s patents were bought by Charles Seeberger; some features of Wheeler’s designs were incorporated in Seeberger’s prototype that was built by the Otis Elevator Company in 1899. Reno, a graduate of Lehigh University, produced the first working escalator (called the “inclined elevator”) and installed it alongside the Old Iron Pier at Coney Island, New York City in 1896.
In 1889, Leamon Souder successfully patented the “stairway,” an analogous device that featured a “series of steps and links jointed to each other.” No model was ever built. This was the first of at least four escalator-style patents issued to Souder, including two for spiral designs. On March 15, 1892, Jesse W. Reno patented the “Endless Conveyor or Elevator.” A few months after Reno’s patent was approved, George A. Wheeler patented his ideas for a more recognizable moving staircase, though it was never built. Wheeler’s patents were bought by Charles Seeberger; some features of Wheeler’s designs were incorporated in Seeberger’s prototype that was built by the Otis Elevator Company in 1899. Reno, a graduate of Lehigh University, produced the first working escalator (called the “inclined elevator”) and installed it alongside the Old Iron Pier at Coney Island, New York City in 1896.
Cooper Union’s iconic Foundation Building was the first building in the world to be built with an elevator shaft. Although the passenger car and conveyance system for such a shaft had not yet been developed, Peter Cooper believed they soon would be. His son Edward built a steam-powered elevator for the building, and it operated there for forty years.
Upper & lowercase 52
Numerals 39
Punctuation 50
Numeric symbols 35
Diacritics 15
Extended alphabet 209