The Relevance of Typography in Branding

Let’s Start from the Beginning: A History of Typography

The true typographic revolution began in the 15th century with Johannes Gutenberg and his movable-type printing press, which changed the history of communication. His innovation enabled the mass reproduction of texts, democratising access to information. It was then that the first typefaces emerged, such as Textura, inspired by Gothic manuscript letters.

Over the centuries, typefaces evolved to adapt to new technologies, from the serif fonts of the Renaissance, such as Garamond, to the Sans Serif fonts of the 19th century, represented by fonts like Helvetica. Each of these typefaces not only improved legibility but also reflected the cultural and stylistic identities of its time.

With the arrival of the first personal computers in the 1980s, typography underwent a new transformation. The appearance of the Apple Macintosh changed the way typographic processes were defined. Designers began to manipulate typography directly without the need for a typesetter. This is how typefaces such as Geneva appeared, designed by Susan Kare, originally in bitmap and later converted to TrueType.

Later, the development of the web and mobile devices drove the use of variable fonts, which allow all possible styles and weights to be contained within a single file. This not only makes it possible to adjust a typeface automatically and almost infinitely, but also reduces file size and improves accessibility and adaptability across different platforms.

Today, typefaces have become a key element in the visual identity of brands, enabling more personalised and interactive experiences.

Typography and Branding

Typography plays a crucial role in branding: it reflects the essence and values of a brand, defines its tone, communicates emotions, and creates a unique personality that connects with its target audience.The choice of typography directly influences how we perceive a brand; an appropriate typeface can be the key to building a strong and coherent visual identity, while an incorrect choice can distort perception and weaken the brand.

The Impact and Relevance of Typography in Branding

Typography not only affects legibility but also how a brand is interpreted. Serif fonts such as Times New Roman or Garamond project tradition, authority, and trust, ideal for companies seeking to convey stability and experience.

On the other hand, Sans Serif fonts like Helvetica or Avenir suggest modernity and neutrality, making them perfect for brands with a more contemporary approach.

Often, brands use more than one typeface to create visual hierarchy and add dynamism to their graphic identity. Combining them appropriately is essential to achieve harmony and provide the visual identity with personality and coherence, ensuring that it faithfully represents what the brand wishes to convey.

Categories of Typography

Although in our day-to-day work, design professionals usually classify typefaces as either serif or sans serif – something like saying black or white – there is a more elaborate and developed classification, the Vox ATypI, which, although it lost support in 2021 due to its focus on the Latin system, remains valid until a new global standard is developed.

Below are some of the relevant typographic categories:

1. Classical Typefaces:

• Humanist: Inspired by Renaissance calligraphy, humanist typefaces, such as Centaur, are easy to read and have moderate contrast in their strokes. They are warm and elegant, ideal for conveying tradition and closeness.
• Garalde: Also known as “Old Style”, characterised by more defined serifs and greater contrast than humanists. Garamond and Caslon are perfect for conveying trust and authority in traditional brands.
• Transitional: A transitional step between Garalde and Didone typefaces. With greater contrast between thin and thick strokes, such as Times Roman or Baskerville, these fonts combine elegance and clarity.

2. Calligraphic Typefaces:

• Blackletter: With angular and ornate forms, these medieval typefaces, such as Fette Fraktur, evoke antiquity and formality. They are used in logos or brands with a strong historical legacy.
• Gaelic: Characteristic of Irish scripts, with rounded and angular shapes, such as Uncial, rarely used outside its cultural context but powerful in specific applications.
• Graphic: Modern calligraphic fonts that imitate handwriting but with a more stylised and graphic approach, such as Klang or Banco, used in branding to create an artistic or personalised feel.
• Script: Simulate fluid handwritten calligraphy, such as Zapfino, adding elegance and warmth, ideal for creative or luxury brands.
• Glyphic: Imitate inscriptions in stone or metal, with chiselled shapes. These typefaces, such as Trajan, are robust and monumental, often used in prestigious or formal brands.

3. Modern Typefaces:

• Didone: Characterised by high contrast between thin and thick strokes, such as Bodoni or Didot, they convey elegance and modernity. They are common in luxury brands.
• Mechanistic: Also called Egyptian or slab serif, they have thick, straight serifs. Rockwell is an example. They convey solidity and stability, perfect for industrial or technological brands.

4. Modern Sans Serif Typefaces:

• Humanist: Sans Serif fonts that maintain more organic and less rigid strokes, such as Gill Sans, offering accessibility and natural reading.
• Grotesque: The first Sans Serif fonts, with more geometric and rigid forms, such as Akzidenz-Grotesk or Franklin Gothic. They are suitable for brands seeking simplicity and neutrality.
• Neo-grotesque: A refinement of the Grotesques, with less variation in strokes, such as Helvetica or Univers. They convey modernity and neutrality, ideal for a wide range of applications.
• Geometric: Based on pure shapes such as circles and squares, like Futura or Gotham, these typefaces are clean and minimalist, perfect for brands looking for a modern and rational design.

Typefaces, Type Designers and Their Use in Branding

The work of type designers is essential in branding, as they create the base typefaces that we later use in the design of brand identities, or that we will redesign to achieve identities with their own personality.

Because by customising a typeface – modifying the height or thickness of the letters, the spacing between characters, the creation of special ligatures, etc. – we give the corporate identity a unique feature.

When we spoke at the beginning of this article about digital typefaces, we mentioned the type designer Susan Kare, but before her, there were many other relevant figures.

For example, internationally renowned figures such as Claude Garamond (16th century), creator of the elegant Garamond, or Adrian Frutiger (20th century), with iconic typefaces such as Univers and Frutiger, have left a mark on the history of typography. It is also worth mentioning Monotype Studio, one of the leading companies in the creation and distribution of typefaces, founded in 1887 by Tolbert Lanston, and creator of one of the most recognised typefaces, Times New Roman.

Thus, typography is not just a visual choice but a strategic element that, when designed and customised correctly, becomes a powerful tool to define a brand’s identity and communication.

The Casmar Case: A Typeface that Reinforces Commitment and Identity

When we redesigned Casmar’s branding in 2020, we were clear that it had to reflect its evolution, its new positioning, and at the same time maintain the strength of its 40 years of history in the security sector.

One of the key elements in this transformation was the typeface, which had to convey the balance between tradition and innovation, as well as the commitment that defined the company.

We worked from the Corvinus Skyline typeface, designed by Imre Reiner, which we modified to give Casmar a unique and distinctive character. This typeface, inspired by Art Deco, stands out for its sophistication and geometric flair, which gave Casmar’s branding a technical and professional image.

To reinforce the brand’s personality and its differentiation in the market, we made adjustments to certain typographic features, optimising its legibility and adapting it to different applications. In addition, we integrated a customised calligraphic typeface for the tagline “Committed to security”, creating a visual contrast that balances the technical precision of Corvinus Skyline with a closer and more human expression.

The result was a coherent and distinctive typographic system, achieving a visual identity that respects Casmar’s legacy while projecting it towards the future.

The Planes Case: Creating a Bespoke Typeface Family

In 2020, we redesigned the corporate identity of Ferros Planes, which ended up becoming a bespoke corporate typeface.

With the aim of reflecting the company’s strategic transformation and highlighting its experience in the metallurgical sector and its specialisation in “laser tube cutting”, we created a logotype by applying two “laser cuts” horizontally to its letters: one to make the letter more extended and its junction points minimal; and another with an offset, to accentuate the division of the parts.

The bespoke PLANES typeface became a key element to reflect both its industrial identity and its innovative approach. We achieved a coherent, recognisable and functional identity across different media, which also symbolised its versatility and capacity for adaptation — two fundamental attributes in its value proposition.

The result was a solid, distinctive and characterful branding, which reinforced PLANES’ positioning as a benchmark in its sector, projecting an image of precision, quality and innovation through every typographic detail.

The Athos Fabrics Case: Three Centuries of Typographic History in Perfect Harmony

We highlight the logotype we created in 2024 for Athos Fabrics, which reflects elegance and exclusivity in the haute cuisine sector through the use of a typeface with three centuries of history.

The brand, specialised in textile table linen, required a new logotype that would reflect its artisanal yet contemporary quality, to position itself within an exclusive market: haute cuisine.

We designed a logotype based on the concept of thread, and for this, we chose the Sackers Italian typeface, a script font that evokes classic and elegant cursive calligraphy, with fluid letters and a strong contrast between thin and thick strokes.

The Sackers Italian typeface dates back to the 18th century, influenced by English calligraphy or Copperplate, which was at its height at that time. Born from the art of engraving manuscripts on copper plates, it reflects the artisanal character of Athos Fabrics.

But how did this typeface survive to the present day? Sackers Italian was developed in the 1970s by the stationer engraver Garret “Gerry” Sackers and has endured over time.
On the other hand, we determined that the secondary typeface would be GT Pressura Mono Light, modern and spaced, a nod to 19th-century typewriting. Designed in 2012 by Dominik Huber and Marc Kappeler for a book on Soviet conceptual art, it revives the utilitarian appearance of the first typewriters, and its clean, minimalist and geometric design makes it versatile for all kinds of applications.

This contrast between a fluid typeface and a monospaced one creates a unique identity, redefining its presence in the sector, honouring its artisanal textile heritage and projecting its contemporary vision.

Typography is a fundamental pillar in branding, capable of conveying a brand’s personality and values with precision and consistency. Throughout history, it has evolved to adapt to different media and needs, from Gutenberg’s printing press to digital typefaces with variable formats.

Its correct selection and application allow brands to differentiate themselves, improve their communication, and strengthen their visual identity. As we have seen in the cases of Casmar, Planes, and Athos Fabrics, typographic customisation can be key to reflecting a company’s essence and adapting to its positioning strategy.

Choosing the right typeface is not merely a matter of style; it is a strategic decision that influences the perception and recognition of the brand. And in an increasingly visual and digital market, typography remains an essential tool for building strong and distinctive brands.