Fonts from Device.
Device
Device Fonts is the font arm of Rian Hughes’ Device studio, operating out of Ealing Common, London. An early contributor to FontShop’s FontFont range, Device Fonts was launched in 1997 to carry Hughes’ growing library. It has released over 200 original typefaces covering more than 1000 individual weights, including custom designs for clients as diverse as Mac User, 2000AD and The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Popular Device fonts.
Korolev is a 72 weight geometric sans serif family based on lettering by an anonymous Soviet graphic designer from the propaganda displays at the Communist Red Square parade in 1937. It has been named in honor of Sergey Pavlovich Korolyov, or Korolev, considered by many to be the father of practical astronomics. Rational and robust, it is also elegant and refined.
Tracings done in Illustrator over a photograph featuring this type pinned down some of the basic character shapes. These were then imported into FontLab, where the full glyph complement was developed. The lower-case has been designed from scratch, and adheres to the structural logic of the uppercase as closely as possible. The complete Korolev super-family includes standard, italic, condensed, and compressed versions, each in five weights.
Try the ‘rounded’ and ‘rough’ companion families. The Alternate families come with a double-story “a”.
Paralucent is versatile all-purpose modern sans. Available in seven weights, from Thin to Heavy, and in two widths each with corresponding italics, it avoids some of the more eccentric calligraphic quirks of Akzidenz or Helvetica or the cool precision of Univers for an elegant, functional, yet warm design. There are two additions to the core 28-weight family: a three-weight stencil set, and a four weight text family. The text weights have been adjusted for use at small point sizes, and feature more open character shapes, looser inter-letter spacing for improved readability, and lining numerals for use in listings and tables.
A versatile and elegant sans serif with a hint of Futura and a dash of Gill, but entirely its own design. Clear and legible in small sizes, refined and authoritative in larger sizes, Serenity is perfect for corporations, institutions, museums, galleries, editorial and publishing. Seven weights from a fine Thin to an impactful Heavy, plus italics, present a full range for all text and headline needs. Comes with full international character support, tabular and old-style numerals and alternate versions for the R, K, a and g.
Aurore Grotesque is an elegant, robust geometric sans for both text and headline. It has a classic European heritage that references the posters of Cassandre and the modern sans of Paul Renner or Karl Gustav Möhring, but is entirely new and does not slavishly follow any historical reference. The low lower-case x-height gives it character and definition in running text, while the capitals-only Titling variant lends weight and punch to headlines. The full range of weights, each with matching italics, make it perfect for brochures, magazines, advertising, web, app and corporate uses. Includes lining, old-style and tabular numerals, arrows, stylised geometric alternates, and a full international character set.
Urbane Rounded is a curved, friendly version of Urbane, a versatile all-purpose sans-serif family of six weights plus italics. It explores the same idea-space as early geometric modernist sans such as Futura, Erbar, Spartan and Elegant Sans, with a single-story a, a contemporary high x-height and very slightly condensed bowls. Perfect for headlines and running text, it is clear, classic and authoritative.
Smart, legible and elegant, Gravesend Sans is a based on the unique typeface used for the iconic grass-green signage for the Southern Railway. In existence from 1923 to 1948, when the network was nationalised, the Southern Railway linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, the South coast resorts and Kent.
Fonts in use.
Fonts from Device.
Rian Hughes has created an eclectic range of fonts over the last 25 years, from the functional and versatile bestsellers Korolev and Paralucent to scripts, text families, exotic headline faces, and fonts so peculiar even he can’t think of a use for them.
Designer, illustrator, comic artist, writer and typographer
Rian Hughes
Rian Hughes is a graphic designer, illustrator, comic artist, writer and typographer. Releasing his first fonts in 1993 through FontShop, he has gone on to build a versatile library over 30 years at his own foundry, Device. He has published two experimental novels, XX and The Black Locomotive (Picador/Overlook Press) which use design and typography to extend the narrative. His illustrations have appeared in magazines in the UK, US and Japan, and he has written and drawn comics for 2000AD and Batman: Black and White. For DC Comics, Marvel and others he has designed hundreds of logos, collected in Logo a Logo (Korero Press). Other publications include Rayguns and Rocketships (vintage SF book cover art) and the Lifestyle Illustration and Custom Lettering series, while his comic strips are collected in Yesterday’s Tomorrows and his burlesque portraits in Soho Dives, Soho Divas.
Monotype Fonts
Device Fonts are included in Monotype Fonts.