The typeface was named for the explorer Jacques Cartier and dedicated to the Canadian people.

[1] In 1977 a revival of Cartier was produced under the name Raleigh by Robert Norton.

This typeface was later redesigned by Canadian typographer Rod McDonald in a digital format.

McDonald's Cartier family removed inconsistencies in the baseline weight, and streamlined the stroke angles to enforce a strong horizontal flow.

[3] His work was a form of homage to the validity of Dair's original design, which was incomplete and plagued with weight, stroke, and grid issues because Dair insisted that the type foundry not refine the face.