MegaMegaTypeType
A clean neo-grotesque sans in nine weights with italics, first released in 2001 and redrawn between 2015 and 2022.
About
ARS Maquette started from the play and pause symbols on hi-fi manuals and grew into a plain, open sans with slanted humanist terminals and a large effective x-height. The Pro version adds a second, curved-ending italic, a unicase set and a display cut with taller caps and tighter spacing, all as OpenType features across around 1970 glyphs. The Standard version carries the same 18 styles with 649 glyphs.
Classification
The foundry places it in the Neo-Grotesque or Transitional sans family, descended from Breite Grotesk and Akzidenz-Grotesk: low stroke contrast, open counters, plain appearance. Geometric roots softened with humanist slanted terminals and a large effective x-height.