Press Release
Paul Robb and Moira Bartoloni Is Honored with the Silver A' Design Award for Rotary Sans Typeface in Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
Paul Robb and Moira Bartoloni honored for graphics, illustration and visual communication design by the international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 19, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ Rotary Sans Typeface by Paul Robb and Moira Bartoloni, designed for S6 Foundry, has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The result belongs to the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Silver A' Design Award Explained
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
About Rotary Sans Typeface
Rotary Sans is an OpenType sans-serif typeface with geometric structures and slight shape variations. It includes pear-shaped ink traps that aid legibility and add a distinct visual element. The typeface provides a full Latin glyph set, plus alternative characters and ligatures, for various typographic uses. Its design emphasizes clarity and consistency, suitable for contexts such as branding. Rotary Sans comes in multiple weights and styles, usable in both digital and print formats where legibility and uniform appearance are needed.
About Paul Robb and Moira Bartoloni
Paul Robb is a Creative Director and Type designer with over 30 years of experience, and is a Professor of Graphic design at the University of Perugia, and a Professor on the MA Brand design course of the Academia of Perugia. Since 2000 he is Creative Director for Salt&Pepper an award-winning multidisciplinary contemporary graphic design studio focused on transforming brands and businesses. Expressiveness and authenticity are the basis of his work which is completed with a balanced fusion of creative design and technology. In 2020 he started S6 Foundry which develops creative fonts by designers for designers.
Award Record
This recognition makes Paul Robb and Moira Bartoloni a winner of 22 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2018 - 2019 and the 2024 - 2025 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design Award
The A' Graphic Design Award is an international graphic design competition recognizing good graphic designs by best creative agencies and designers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to graphic designers, communication designers, graphic artists and illustrators from all countries. Typical entries include logos, posters, infographics, brochures, packaging designs and business cards. The awarded graphic designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/graphics
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/167715
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/167715
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!167715
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/175604
- Further Information from the Laureate: http://www.s6foundry.com/retail-font-library/rotary-sans/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Rotary Sans Typeface
- Function
- Typeface
- Category
- Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
- Discipline
- Communication Design
- Industry
- Branding & Advertising and Arts
- Colors
- Orange Red, Firebrick, Gainsboro, Maroon and Dark Salmon
- Images
- 5
- Client
- S6 Foundry
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Paul Robb and Moira Bartoloni
- Country
- Italy
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #167715
Credits
- Team
- Paul Henry Robb and Moira Bartoloni
- Image Credits
- Paul Henry Robb
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Rotary Sans is a modern OpenType sans-serif typeface that blends contemporary aesthetics with strong geometric contrasts. Its most distinctive feature is the pear drop-shaped ink traps, which add a unique visual character while enhancing legibility. Designed with versatility in mind, Rotary Sans includes an extended Latin glyph set, complete with alternative characters and ligatures, making it well-suited for a wide range of typographic applications.
- Inspiration
- Rotary Sans draws inspiration from the interplay of geometry and functionality found in mid-century modern design, where clean lines and purposeful details create a sense of clarity and efficiency. The typeface takes cues from classic grotesque and neo-grotesque sans-serifs but reinterprets them with a contemporary twist—most notably through its distinctive pear drop-shaped ink traps. These ink traps not only enhance legibility but also introduce a subtle organic contrast to the structure.
- Research
- The initial research for Rotary Sans focused on striking a balance between geometric precision and functional versatility. The design process began with an in-depth study of mid-century modern typography, particularly the clean, efficient letterforms found in grotesque and neo-grotesque typefaces. These styles, known for their straightforward and utilitarian approach, served as a foundation for Rotary Sans, but the goal was to introduce a contemporary refinement that would make it more adaptable to modern branding and communication needs.
- Challenge
- The development of Rotary Sans presented several key design challenges, requiring a careful balance between form, function, and originality. One of the primary hurdles was achieving a distinctive aesthetic while maintaining the clarity and versatility expected of a contemporary sans-serif. The typeface needed to feel fresh and modern yet still be highly functional across a range of applications, from branding to editorial use.
- Realization and Technology
- The font was meticulously designed and digitally crafted, offering support for over 200 Latin-based languages. To celebrate its launch, a limited-edition specimen box was digitally printed, showcasing the typeface’s versatility and strength across various applications.
- Operation and Interaction
- The presentation box was gifted to the first ten companies that purchased the complete typeface family.
- Project Duration and Location
- Location Italy. The research project began in late 2023 and progressed through development, culminating in its production and launch in July 2024.
- Specifications
- The outer box 25 x 155 x 215 was digitally printed and then silver foil printed. The 20 postcards were printed on 300gsm natural paper cmyk.
- Keywords
- Type design, Typeface, Specimen
