Brand illusions How the pandemic made fonts friendlier
S eismic historical events can jolt creativity in new directions. The eruption of an Indonesian volcano in 1815 caused freakish weather throughout the world, inspiring a new genre of gothic fiction. Out of the devastation of the first world war came modernism, with great innovation in literature, art – and typography. Gill Sans, a fresh, forward-looking font created by Eric Gill in 1926, embodied the post-war world’s desire for novelty.
You might think you’re reading the words when you look at a sign or logo. But how they’re written may be as important as what they say. Typefaces are the visual equivalent of tone of voice. You wouldn’t write a party invitation in Times New Roman or a heartfelt apology in Comic Sans. For companies, typefaces play a more important part in articulating their identity than any other design element.
When the world changes, so does what we want to say. So the pandemic is already influencing brand typography. Plain, tidy and functional fonts are giving way to rounder, softer and more expressive ones. The trend started a few years ago, led by companies with self-consciously playful identities like Duolingo and Mailchimp, but it has gathered pace over the past year. In Britain, Currys PC World, an electrical-goods shop, and Zoopla, a property website, have abandoned soulless styles for more characterful characters. To sell a washing machine these days, you need flamboyant descenders on your “g”s.
