The mystical power of typography

A picture says more than a thousand words … but how do we interpret them correctly?

The word is omnipresent – even amid the overwhelming flood of images that pour over us daily through media channels. A clear context is always needed to properly anchor the information and emotions conveyed visually. Sometimes a single term is enough – one that names the company or the brand. In visual media, we have countless typefaces at our disposal to shape these messages. But how did these typefaces actually come into being? And what can we learn from their origins for how we use them today?

Of bastards, the “black art,” and transformation

Modern typography has its roots in Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of movable metal type and the printing press. This technique revolutionized the traditional method of book production in the mid-15th century, which until then had relied on handwritten copies, usually produced by monks in monasteries. The new “black art” of printing made it possible to produce printed works faster, cheaper, and in larger quantities – fueling the epochal developments of humanism, the Reformation, and the spread of literacy. While the typeface of the Gutenberg Bible (Textura) still closely imitated broken handwriting, new typefaces soon emerged (humanist minuscle/Antiqua and various bastards) that were better suited to printing on paper – the “white art” of papermaking – than on the parchment previously in use.

The best designers from all over Europe

With the spread of printing, the following centuries saw the development of the major Antiqua typefaces across Europe. Printers and type founders from Germany, Venice, the Netherlands, England, and France – such as Nicolas Jenson, Claude Garamont, John Baskerville, and Giambattista Bodoni – were so influential that their names are still familiar to us today in type menus. All typefaces are still classified according to the era of their creation and their distinctive design characteristics.

Simply grotesque – or already Swiss typography?

Group VI of this classification includes the youngest and still dominant type family: the serifless linear Antiqua. Because of its initially unusual appearance, it is still referred to in professional jargon as a grotesque typeface. Its letters are characterized by nearly uniform stroke thickness throughout and the absence of the serifs typical of classical Antiqua typefaces, which is why it is internationally known as sans serif (from French). Grotesque typefaces first appeared in England at the beginning of the 19th century and became increasingly popular in the U.S. as the demand for advertising fonts, signage, and announcements grew. From the first German sans serif, Akzidenz-Grotesk, the famous Helvetica emerged in the mid-1950s – a typeface that shaped printed communication for more than 50 years.

Clarity and recognizability in design

The invention of lithography and offset printing at the turn of the century enabled a wealth of design possibilities, widely used in print and advertising. Inspired by the Bauhaus, the “New Typography” from 1923 brought avant-garde clarity by deliberately dispensing with excessive ornamentation, frames, and decoration, establishing typography as an independent artistic form of expression. Jan Tschichold defined the first rules for high-quality typographic design in a 1925 handbook, which reached its next evolutionary stage 30 years later in Swiss typography. Its design grids, asymmetrical yet objective presentation, use of grotesque typefaces in only a few sizes, and extreme use of white space anticipated what we now call corporate design: the consistent application of fixed design rules to ensure a visually coherent recognizability.

Bold brands go their own way

On this initially revolutionary, purist foundation, the following decades saw the rise of a largely uniform communication style. Corporate communication relied heavily on neutral – even characterless – grotesque typefaces such as Helvetica, Univers, and Arial. Only a few designers and brands had the foresight and courage to break out of this mold and take their own path.

Adrian Frutiger for Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, Otl Aicher for the Munich Olympic Games, and Kurt Weidemann in the 1980s for Mercedes-Benz were notable exceptions. They were among the first to develop new, custom typefaces specifically for signage systems and corporate identities. In Weidemann’s case, it was even an entire font family – Corporate A-S-E – which, true to its initials, included not only an Antiqua but also a versatile sans serif and a slab serif (Egyptienne).

The big opportunity for individual branding

From a brand perspective, it makes perfect sense – and promises success – not to swim along in the uniform “gray” of Helvetica derivatives and pre-installed system fonts. The deliberate choice of distinctive, high-quality typefaces offers the opportunity for clear differentiation from the competition and unique market positioning. With a conservative estimate of more than 50,000 type families comprising hundreds of thousands of individual styles, there is certainly a typeface or font combination that is the perfect fit for your project and your brand. It completes the visual identity with a decisive element that subtly conveys your brand’s unique quality to the viewer.

Strong corporate brands such as Coca-Cola, Apple, Google, Samsung, Netflix, Porsche, and BMW increasingly rely on custom-made fonts to consistently implement their corporate designs. Current examples from Goldman Sachs and the German appliance manufacturer Miele show that such long-term investments in a unique brand identity are being made in both consumer and B2B markets.

The advantages of a specific font choice for your corporate design

Differentiation from competitors
Custom typefaces set a brand apart from the competition and add a unique visual identifier.
Target group identification
They make communication more personal and engaging, leading to stronger emotional connections with the audience.
Consistent recognizability in design
The consistent use of corporate fonts creates a long-term, coherent brand experience across all channels.
Improved flexibility and readability
Modern, versatile font families ensure optimal readability, allow for tailored structuring, and provide a contemporary look and feel across all media.
Legal control and security
Clearly defined fonts give companies full control over usage and reduce legal risks from license or copyright violations.

Harness the dynamics of new technologies

From movable type and the printing press, through type foundries, lithography, and offset printing, to today’s modern multimedia corporate identity: technology-driven companies should embrace the opportunities of emerging communication tools and use them to their advantage. In typography, this increasingly involves the use of dynamic fonts. They open up exciting new possibilities, especially in video, animation, and infographics, and are ideally suited for contemporary communication of complex, technology-driven products and services.

Showcase your brand’s transformation successfully to the outside world

When creating a modern brand identity, the choice of corporate typefaces is not the first priority. But in the end, it can subtly – and very subconsciously – round off the corporate design by perfectly reflecting the brand’s personality. To successfully position the brand beforehand, we recommend the following approach:

Analyze your market environment carefully
How is the market changing? Are there (mega) trends? Who are your competitors? How are they positioning themselves? How do they present themselves communicatively?
Seek professional support
Which specialists in market research, brand consulting, creation, content, web, social media, etc. should you bring on board to best support your team
Critically review your brand’s future viability
Put your solutions and your brand to the test! Do you have a clearly defined corporate culture with corresponding values? An overarching mission and vision as guiding principles?
Define where your journey should go
How modern, distinctive, or visionary should your brand appear in the future? Can your products and services keep up with this (and with market demands)? Are there defined KPIs to be achieved?

Evaluate the framework conditions
What timeline, scope, and budget are planned for implementing the new brand identity?
Plan realistically – and, if necessary, in stages
Is there a fixed launch date? Trade fair, quarterly/year-end closing, M&A, new fiscal year, management change, succession plan, anniversary…?
Bring all stakeholders on board
Which decision makers, influencers, and potential blockers need to be informed in good time and continuously involved?

Author: Michael

Michael regularly makes use of both brain hemispheres in the service of effective B2B and brand communication. As a trained graphic designer, two hearts also beat in his chest: that of a designer and that of a copywriter. The former he tries to keep diplomatically in check when working with our designers – but his passion for typography still runs strong. Ideally, both worlds come together symbiotically: the right words in the right form.

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