Monotype launches cloud-based type service

Monotype has launched a cloud-based type service, Membership by Monotype, that grants access to more than 14,000 typefaces from the Monotype, Linotype, Ascender, Bitstream and ITC libraries.

Subscribers will be able to download and install any of the typefaces, via Monotype's Skyfonts service, for internal use across a range of media, including print, web and app design.

Users can install an unlimited number of typefaces on their workstation in both web and desktop formats. Unlike the Skyfonts rental service, typefaces downloaded by Membership by Monotype subscribers are not time-limited.

Monthly subscription fees range from $500 for up to 15 seats, to $2,137 for up to 100 seats; extended licensing options are available for external use of the typefaces or for companies with more than 100 users.

Also included in the subscription is access to Monotype's Typecast Web design tool, which allows designers to test every font included in the Membership library in their internet browser.

John McCallum, Monotype vice president of Enterprise Solutions, said: "As consumer touch points continue to multiply, it is critical for brands to create consistency in the way they are displayed and perceived across all of these mediums.

"Type is a crucial component of brand identity and is sometimes the only piece that remains when designs scale down to things like packaging labels and small screens.

"We designed our Membership service to remove the barriers that have traditionally existed in working with type, liberating the creative process and providing the future-proofing that brands and agencies need when it comes to using type across every medium."

Monotype is currently offering a free 30-day trial of the new service, which users can sign up for at the Membership by Monotype website (membership.monotype.com).