Typefaces without serifs were known in nineteenth-century England as Grotesque (or Grotesk in German) because they seemed so unusual to most readers. Monotype Grotesque font is a straightforward 1926 design that is among the earliest sans serifs cut for hot-metal machine typesetting. Its simple, clean lines make it amenable for text use, and the condensed and extended versions are useful for shorter text and display use..
Grotesque was the name given to the sans serif types that originated in England in the early nineteenth century. The roman version of Monotype Grotesque was however, modeled on German foundry types, and originally called Ideal Grotesk. The italic was designed to match the roman by the Monotype Type Drawing Office.
Some of the typically English features, such as the spurred G and double-curved R tail, are more apparent in Monotype Grotesque Light Condensed than in the other weights. The simple structure of this design makes the Monotype Grotesque font family suitable for short pieces of text setting, but its main use is in larger sizes for advertising and display work.
