Bayer Modern is based on Bauhaus artist Herbert Bayer’s universal alphabet designed in 1925. In the spirit of reductive minimalism, Bayer held radical opinions about functionality in typography and design. As master of the Bauhaus' printing and advertising workshop, he insisted that all official materials be printed exclusively in lowercase and in sans-serif. Bayer believed the use of majuscules and minisclues was anachronistic and unnecessary—“the voice does not make capital sounds. Why then should the eye require them?” Among his most functional and popular styles, Bayer’s universal alphabet makes use of a simple geometric grid.

With the release of Bayer Modern, digital designer Noah Rothschild has expanded and updated Bayer’s original alphabet to accommodate a variety of typographical options. The remarkably thorough Bayer Modern font family includes the original “universal” alphabet, alternate lowercase forms, plus two sets of capitals and alternates, European characters, and a variety of ligatures and symbols. Bayer Modern’s crisp and bold geometric forms are perfect for short headlines, logotypes and monograms.