Custom Typefaces / Inspiration

Every designer probably knows the fear of the blank, sheet of white paper. Sadly, I am no exception. Creative block, lack of inspiration, and temporary hopelessness, all of which is represented with this A4 blank sheet of paper. But all beginnings are difficult. That also applies to the design of a custom corporate typeface. It may be that the customer only provides a few key points and then especially, it can be very helpful if you can offer a few ideas visualising different directions in which the design could develop. So don’t worry, but be creative.

Update / Upgrade

Probably the easiest way to create a Custom Corporate Typeface is to create a new typeface based on the company’s current one. After all, the typeface has shaped the company and its outward communication for years. This way, the look and feel of the old typeface will be retained and the new typeface will quickly be associated with the company, as the differences in design are not too great.

From a Logo to a Typeface

A further inspiration can come from the company’s word or design mark (see Typologo). You could examine the design mark of the logo and inspect its design features, which you could transfer back into a new typeface. This way, the logo is visually strengthened and the font immediately offers a certain recognition. If the logo consists of a pure word mark, the typologo, you could derive the other letters from the few existing letters and on that basis design a completely functional font.

Please note: If the Logo is based or just written down with an existing typeface, the typedesigner is probably not allowed to create a new typefaces based on that logo.

Slogan

Based on existing slogans, keywords can be taken up by the slogan and used as a reference point for the design.

Briefing from the Client

The first question that arises here is: Who is your customer? Is it the company itself or an advertising and design agency that already works for the company? The employees in a company do not often have a great deal of knowledge about typography and fonts, so that this is where the type designer comes in. The art directors however, have the necessary typographic knowledge and are often able to articulate what they expect from the typeface. So just ask them. Here, adjectives like dynamic, friendly, playful, neutral, etc or precise briefings such as "We need a legible, geometric font with humanistic features" can be helpful.

New Creation

The last option is to design a completely new typeface that visually reflects the company’s values. These are determined together with the client and visually incorporated into the typeface, so that in the end a suitable typeface with the appropriate type character is created.

In any way, creating a corporate typeface will be fun and challenging. And no creative block will stand in the way of a great outcome.

Next Chapter: Conclusion