The importance of a good font is undeniable when considering its value to a brand. There are thousands of fonts available online, both free and for a fee. But the most rewarding is an in-house font, or custom (made) font. Big names like Apple, Coca-Cola and, yes, even Fitbrand use custom fonts in the logo.
Winners and losers
Some fonts allow themselves to be read better than others. The world's most widely used font is Helvetica. Helvetica is a sans serif(sans serif) font designed by Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffmann. According to graphic designer Wim Crouwel, the font is "neutral," and "has no expression of its own. For that reason, the design's message comes across clearly. Helvetica is widely used in billboards, logos, signage in buildings, public transportation and other forms of infrastructure. The font is so widespread that there is even an entire movie devoted to it.
Where Helvetica won the battle, Comic Sans is the big loser. The font was designed by Microsoft in 1994 for use in "informal" documents, and based on the handwritten lettering in comic book balloons. It has been wildly popular for a short time, which has had the effect of making Comic Sans develop a high level of cliché among many people. Today, Comic Sans is the most hated font in the world.
This font eventually landed on the moon, as a companion to the Apollo 11 mission.
Then there is another font that has had a remarkable journey in its existence, namely Futura, a typeface designed by Paul Renner in 1920s Germany. The font was banned from Germany by the Nazis for looking "too modern. For a while it seemed Futura had breathed its last, but nothing could be further from the truth. The font eventually landed on the moon, as a companion to the Apollo 11 mission.
Groningen Sans Serif - Font Designed and Crafted by Maya GS, Distributed by Webhance Studio.
Groningen font
Just as many brands have their own font to distinguish themselves from the rest, cities and countries also have their own fonts. So does fine Groningen. Several even. There is this Groningen font, based on the shape of the bicycles used so frequently in the city. And then there is this one, a sans serif font that at first glance has nothing at all to do with Groningen, but does bear the name of the city. A city's streetscape is also largely determined by the companies and institutions that house it. Groningen, for example, has the University of Groningen, which carries the Egyptienne font in its logo, or the Groninger Museum, which in turn has had its own font made.
The importance of custom fonts
At Fitbrand, we are extremely fond of typography, which is reflected in the logos and corporate identities we create for our clients. We always think about the role of a font in the context of your style guide. For many logos we use our own designed typography and custom made fonts. This way, our client is assured of a unique logo that can stand out strongly from others in a saturated market.
Curious about how we do this? Then take a look at our portfolio!
