They include Futura-inspired characters that include “N”, “M”, “R”, “a”, “g”, “t” and others, an all-capital “W” in the French Renaissance style, a tinier “R”, a “Q” that was designed in the 19th century with the tail looping upwards (similar to that on Century among other characters, and also preferred to the LNER) and oblique designs in contrast to the traditional true italic font, a curvier and true-italic “e” and several alternative numerals. Monotype created a collection of characters that were not available for Gill Sans to cater for different preferences and styles of printing of various nations.

After the initial popularity in Gill Sans, Monotype rapidly came up with a range of alternative designs. The success of Gill Sans was made possible by Monotype’s clever marketing driven by Gill’s loyal supporter (and often love interest) Beatrice Warde, and due to its utility and accessibility for machines in a wide variety of weights and sizes. Gill Sans rapidly became very well-known.

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