Collection: Socket

Socket has an unusual weight distribution that references early optical character recognition typefaces. Originally available only in numerals, the first full alphabet was OCR-A, developed in 1966 to meet US Bureau of Standards requirements. OCR-B, designed in 1968 by Adrian Frutiger, is easier for humans to read while still remaining machine compatible, but does lack many of the quirky characteristics of the original. This aesthetic inspired several fonts of the early computer age, and still evokes a science fictional optimism. Device fonts Straker, Telstar and Skylab explore similar graphical territory. For Socket, the thicker weighted strokes are used to suggest ‘serifs’ at the top and bottom of characters such as the D and R, and diagonals to differentiate the V from the U. The periods and commas are oversized, while the accents are scaled down for a more comfortable fit.