Motorway (typeface)

{{short description|Sans-serif typeface}}

{{Use British English|date=September 2017}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}

{{More citations needed|date=March 2025}}

{{Infobox typeface

| name = Motorway

| familyname =

| image = File:Motorway Typeface - 1958 Sample.svg

| style = Sans-serif

| classifications =

| creator = Jock Kinneir
Margaret Calvert

| commissioned_by =

| foundry =

| foundries =

| creationdate = 1958 (Original, limited alphabet)
2015 (Unofficial full alphabet, K-type)

| releasedate =

| trademark =

| based_on =

| aka =

| variations =

| sample = 175px

| shown_here =

| sample_fullimage =

}}

Motorway is a sans-serif typeface designed by Jock Kinneir and Margaret Calvert for use on the motorway network of the United Kingdom. Motorway was first used on the Preston Bypass (which subsequently became part of the M6) in 1958, and has been in use on the UK's motorways ever since. The typeface is also used in some other countries, most notably Ireland and Portugal.

File:Motorway Permanent character set.svg

File:Motorway Temporary character set.svg

Motorway comes in two weights, "Motorway Permanent" and "Motorway Temporary". Motorway Permanent is the standard weight, and is used for pale text on a dark background (for example, on white-on-blue permanent motorway signs) while Motorway Temporary is heavier, and is used for dark text on a pale background (for example, black-on-yellow temporary motorway signs).{{Cite web|title=Fonts|url=https://www.roads.org.uk/fonts|access-date=2021-03-08|website=Roads.org.uk}} The typefaces have a limited character set, only containing the numbers 0 to 9; the letters "A", "B", "E", "M", "N", "S", "W"; parentheses; a comma; an ampersand; and the word "Toll" (treated as a single character). The character "Toll" was added to the font set in summer 2007, in order to be added to any following new M6 Toll road signs on the motorway.{{cite web|title=British Roads FAQ|url=https://www.roads.org.uk/roadsfaq|access-date=2021-03-08|website=Roads.org.uk}} Previously the word "Toll" was written in Transport Medium adjacent to "M6" written in Motorway Permanent.

A full character set of the Motorway typeface was completed by the K-Type foundry in 2015, almost sixty years after its inception. The family includes the Bold (Temporary) weight, the SemiBold (Permanent) weight, and a previously unconsidered Regular (book) weight. There are also true italics for each weight.{{cite web|title=Motorway|url=http://www.k-type.com/fonts/motorway/|website=K-Type|access-date=17 June 2017}}