Skip to main content

Change It Back, IKEA.

The Verdana-Futura beat down is a big deal. Whodathunk it.

I’m a big Futura fan. Like Futura a lot of my work is based on classical proportions and is geometric. Futura conveys sophistication with simplicity which makes it a perfect choice for IKEA. Verdana used to be one of my favorites…when I was a sophomore in college. I liked it because I didn’t know any better. Like many of Matthew Carter’s well known typefaces, Verdana is designed to solve the technical problem of rendering fonts onscreen, not to convey artistic beauty.

There were rumors that IKEA chose Verdana because they wanted a unified graphic identity across all markets. I’ve seen conflicting information on this. If true, it is the only legitimate reason to use Verdana. However:

In Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Thailand for the languages Hebrew, Arabic and Thai, Tahoma is the approved substitute font. JhengHei, a Chinese sans-serif is the substitute font for Traditional Chinese in Taiwan and Hong Kong. YaHei will be substituted for Verdana in mainland China for Simplified Chinese. The Japanese sans-serif, Meiryo is being used in Japan and the Okinawan Islands while Malgun Gothic will be used in North Korea and South Korea. The Tamil language in India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia and Mauritius will be displayed using Latha. Source

Second reason cited was cost effectiveness. If everyone switched to the most cost effective font on earth everything would be in Arial. Does IKEA really care about design? Apparently not. They have decided to be the Wal-Mart of the furniture world instead.

Verdana will be gone as soon as we get screens with higher resolutions. Renner wasn’t trying to solve a communications problem, he was creating a piece of art. Futura has stood the test of time, and has been used for different applications generation after generation. In 2123, we will still have Futura advertising space vacations and floating condominiums off the coast of Madagascar. Or everything will be in Arial. Your choice: Sign the petition.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Guerilla Marketing

Just recently, I was wondering why we don’t see more of... ...this... ...this... ...this... ...this... and this here in the states. Yes, guerilla marketing. As you can see, all of these images don’t have their point of origin here in the USA. Then, I got my answer . Seriously, when looking at few of these campaigns, although they are clever and probably very effective, some of them seem destructive and disruptive. I think that American advertisers recognize this, and understood that American culture doesn’t have time or allow disruptions or annoyances, making it a tactic that is rarely used stateside. There are also probably some legal, or rather enforcement reasons that make it more common overseas. Any other thoughts? Everything with the exception of AXE via adgoodness . AXE via ibeliveinadv .
13 comments
Read more

DevChatt

I had the chance to talk to a group of developers at DevChatt 11. I spoke on webfonts. The talk was recorded, so hopefully I can put the audio up soon. The presentation is available here: I am very happy about my move to Chattanooga (in addition to moving here to be with my wife). There are some tremendous things happening, and a very strong entrepreneurial spirit abounds. After attending DevChatt, I was inspired to brush off a few business ideas and I hope to develop these further. One is related to my core competency, typography, while the other is in a totally different field. I was also inspired by listening to Ale Paul and Luc De Groot in New York City this past week. Here are a few links to some inspiring local organizations: DevChatt CreateHere costarters.co Chattarati colab.is
1 comment
Read more

Mandrel Didone is not weak in the face of adversity.

A new family has sprung from the world of insigne. Mandrel Didone is his name. The face is well-liked by those with whom it seeks an audience because of its courtly demeanor and exquisite look. Mandrel Didone conducts itself beautifully in front of each set of eyes with a confident attitude, never wavering or tripping in its polished step. But, despite it’s gentility, this exquisite family is not weak in the face of adversity. Mandrel Didone is a powerful and conspicuous typeface that has towering x-heights, great contrast, confident bends, and sharp serifs. It is well-crafted for high-impact resistance. It uses its sharp serif ends deftly, cutting through opponents' clumsy clutter in the battle for the reader's attention. This noble family consists of nine weights and their matching italics, ranging from Thin to Black. Mandrel Didone also comes with a plethora of OpenType options to let you embellish your text. The family's 500 glyphs and support for more than 70 languages
1 comment
Read more