Linotype Syntax Serif – A ‘New Classic’ as bonus font

As the name implies, Linotype Syntax™ Serif is an addition to Hans Eduard Meier’s famous Syntax type family. The original concept behind Syntax was to develop a typeface that merged the grace of a Renaissance roman with the structural characteristics of a sans serif. Meier began the design in 1954 and in 1968 it was released by the typefoundry D. Stempel AG in hotmetal with three weights: Light, Semibold, and Extra Bold.

In 1995, Hans Eduard Meier began working with Linotype to completely expand and rework Syntax – updating it for new typographic expectations. Released in 2000, it features many additions over the previous versions. It was reborn with six weights plus italics, small caps, and old style figures. On top of this expansion there was also the addition of three new family members: Syntax Serif, Syntax Letter, and Syntax Lapidar.

Since Syntax was originally inspired by classical seriffed types, Meier has brought his design full circle with the creation of Syntax Serif. He succeeded in making his own modern classic design that is clear, open, and extremely legible. The weights and proportions of the family perfectly match to those in Syntax and Syntax Letter, so all designs can be used harmoniously in the same document. Syntax Serif works great at all sizes, but it is optimized for small print. The letterforms are unadorned making them always comfortable to read and are never distracting. Just set a few paragraphs in Syntax Serif Regular and you will immediately notice the even color and ease of reading. Then Syntax Serif will surely move high up on your list of workhorse text fonts.