Today, on January 11, 2011, the new digital typefoundry Rosetta, dedicated to multilingual typography has launched its website.

Admitted, my personal view on Rosetta is slightly biased as they are going to distribute my typefaces Aisha and Nassim. Yet, I figure I had good reasons to choose collaborating with Rosetta in the first place, and I would hope these reasons might hold relevance beyond my own subjective assessment.

Whilst new foundries have been popping up quite frequently over the last few years, Rosetta’s specific focus on non-Latin scripts and its explicit goal “to support excellence in world script type design” make it quite a special addition to the field; indeed, one that appeared uniquely matching my own work and interests.

Rosetta couldn’t be more timely in its specialisation and the way it is organised. For one, it reflects the recently growing interest in non-Latin scripts in typography and addresses it in a dedicated and serious manner. It builds on substantial research in the field, sound craftsmanship and passion for exploration, and stays clear of the more populist and hollow claims for fame that can be heard occasionally.

Moreover, Rosetta’s setup as a network of independent specialists that contribute different sets of knowledge and experience follows developments we have seen in type design in general. The tasks at hand are constantly growing and hard to get by if one has to deal with each and every one oneself. More and more designers decide to form loose partnerships, rather than trying to tackle every aspect from PR to production themselves. One might be good at one thing, but not quite as efficient for another task. The move towards a loose division of labour therefore promises more satisfying results on all levels. Particularly in the development of non-Latin fonts which is constantly hampered by insufficient tools, bad software compliance and undocumented processes, sharing of knowledge and spreading of tasks helps to achieve higher quality products.

Run by professionals who have a keen interest in the subject matter and excellent knowledge of all aspects involved – including the appreciation of one’s own limits – and the right network of specialists to address the questions one doesn’t have the immediate answer to, I have no doubt that Rosetta will be met with appreciation from clients and colleagues alike.

Good luck for the exciting journey into the world’s scripts and languages!