The type specimen for Colophon Foundry's Mabry comes with its own OPEN/CLOSED window sign

Mabry has two forms of inspiration, 19th Century grotesques and early 20th Century geometric sans serifs, making it feel both contemporary and historic. It manages to reference the past, present and feel effortlessly timeless. Colophon Foundry and Benjamin Critton’s typeface Mabry was originally commissioned in 2014 for Los Angeles-based apparel company Nasty Gal as the commercial iteration of NG Grotesque. It’s named after the album and song of the same name by influential funk singer Betty Davis (born Betty Mabry, 1945). It was released for commercial use in 2018 in five weights: Light, Regular, Medium, Bold and Black – with corresponding semi-true italics. Mabry’s type specimen explores the regularity of homemade shop signage and reflects the contrast of old and new through further juxtapositions such as work and life, business and pleasure and home and office. Included with the OPEN/CLOSED flip-sign is a booklet that presents found instances of ordinary operational language such as opening hours and days of the week.