MD Polychrome is a typeface based on the unique aesthetic of Magnetic Ink Character Recognition, and the pre-digital typefaces it inspired.

Invented in the late 1950s, MICR allows human-readable characters to also be recognised by a magnetic scanner, on account of each character producing a different magnetic ‘signature’ when scanned from left to right. The need for each signature to be unique resulted in a set of uniquely unconventional glyphs. By the mid 1960s, typefaces imitating the ‘MICR Look’ were increasingly popular.

MD Polychrome both refines and expands on this aesthetic: balancing its typically uneven texture, improving its spacing, and pushing the limits of optical size to create a version fit for the largest posters and boldest layouts.