![typeface definition typeface definition](https://i.etsystatic.com/5838880/r/il/1ae706/223581133/il_794xN.223581133.jpg)
![typeface definition typeface definition](https://i.etsystatic.com/15827521/r/il/3d0e46/1329047028/il_794xN.1329047028_boi6.jpg)
My first move was a quick and dirty extrapolation in Superpolator - and the results were a revelation. But she’s one of the best typographers working today, so I gave it a stab. ¹⁷ I was reluctant because I’m not a fan of thin serifs. Bethany Heck was an early Signifier tester and suggested a weight lighter than Regular.
![typeface definition typeface definition](https://www.volusion.com/blog/content/images/wp/6scripttypography.jpg)
Signifier’s thin weights are derived from extrapolation. This was a piece of unchallenged ‘received wisdom’ that influenced how I drew fonts for a long time. Sharp details usually have small flat sections to take the ‘digital’ edge off, to make it feel more ‘analogue’. In general this is something that is not done with modern digital fonts. One could zoom in forever and they’d never blunten. For the first time serifs are - mathematically - infinitely sharp. Matrix’s distinctive triangular serifs use one point less than a square serif, and the 45° angle was the smoothest diagonal early digital printers could render. In the Matrix II specimen Emigre writes, “as well as respecting the nuances of our traditional typefaces and their evolution in conjunction with reading habits, the forms of computer fonts must result as an integral part of the digital process, not in spite of it.” Based upon Licko’s earlier bitmap font, Emigre 14, its outlines were simplified to reduce the amount of point data within the font files, thus saving precious memory. Released in 1986, it was Emigre’s first PostScript typeface.