Bangladeshi brands warm up to bespoke fonts
Many companies invest in a customised typeface that sets them apart from the crowd. Although there are a few rising font foundries in Bangladesh, the monetary gains from font making remain low
Have you ever wondered why some companies' advertisements look so distinct? Why does Apple's branding appearance have a unique look and feel while Google's is different? Be it Apple, Google or any other big brand, they have created a distinct design language that is uniquely theirs.
Typography is a crucial part of visual branding. Companies seek to create a unique and recognisable identity and many invest in a bespoke typeface that sets them apart from the crowd.
A typeface, more commonly known as a font family, is a collection of letters and symbols that are used in writing in any digital or printing form – including the ones that you are reading right now.
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Custom typefaces, or bespoke fonts – are gaining traction, including in Bangladesh beyond the global brands.
Why do companies invest in typefaces?
A custom typeface helps a brand to create its own identity, standing out from its competitors. Although branding is not solely dependent on the texts, but rather the appearance as a whole, it still adds a fine detail that shapes the overall persona of the brand.
"Large brands that deal primarily with the youth, create their own typeface, as the youth are more likely to perceive the details in design and communication. That's why you see a lot of technology-related brands using their own fonts"
Print and electronic media, and book publishers, are the most common user bases of custom fonts. A torn piece from their prints can hint at the identity of the organisation, even though their name is not written on it.
"A typeface has a tremendous and underappreciated role in creating strong branding, largely because of how ubiquitous type is. It represents probably 90% of the visuals a company's audience engages with," said Jacob Thomas, a seasoned Dhaka-based typeface designer.
Jacob is the founder of Bangla Type Foundry – a renowned font foundry which created some of the most well-polished and distinct fonts in the industry. His most recent work is for IDLC Finance PLC.
"Every brand has their own perspective, their distinct way of branding. A custom font can distinguish the brand from the competitor brands," said Ahamed Najeeb Rahman, the head of marketing at IDLC Finance PLC.
"Previously, we have used readily available fonts in our branding and communications. We have to work with both Bangla and English texts, and it is hard to find two fonts with a uniform design in both languages – and here comes the necessity of our very own font," he added.
"Although consciously most people cannot name different typefaces, subconsciously they can often recognise writing as 'so-and-so brand' or grasp the connection through the similarity in typeface," said Jacob.
According to Jacob, a bespoke font set helps in three key areas – brand differentiation, visual consistency and personality of the brand.
"Corporate values such as security, tradition, trendy or timeless, creativity, human touch, innovation, whimsical – all these values and more can be expressed through which typeface is used," he said.
"As a financial organisation, authenticity and confidentiality is at the core of what we do – and the use of our very own font in our official documents adds a layer of authenticity," said Najeeb.
Thouhedul Islam Himel, another Dhaka-based typeface designer said, "A custom font adds a sense of authenticity to a brand's appearance. It also shows the uniqueness of the brand."
Himel's brainchild Bengal Fonts has designed more than a dozen fonts, including some open-for-all and some corporate ones. Recently, they have designed a bespoke font for smartphone brand Oppo.
"When a global brand launches its business in any region or country, it tries to reshape its identity to align with the culture of that region. A part of that process is creating a signature way of communication – and a custom typeface paves the way for it," Himel added.
"Large brands that deal primarily with the youth, create their typeface, as the youth are more likely to perceive the details in design and communication. That's why you see a lot of technology-related brands using their own fonts," he added further.
Custom fonts give an edge over the readily available ones – as the readily available ones do not always provide the features according to the brands' requirements. Global brands have to work with multiple languages, hence, creating a uniform type design in all the languages is a must.
What to look out for
The process of font designing itself is a complex and time-consuming procedure. Adding the requirements of a specific brand adds another layer of complexity to the process.
As Himel explained, "Creating a font set requires multiple days of brainstorming, tweaking and beta testing. Designing multiple styles and weights both in Bangla and English requires at least 30-45 days of constant effort."
"Of course, no matter how big the brand is – not every brand is willing to pay for a niche element that most of the people will not actively notice," Himel added further.
The values, requirements and approach of the organisation is an important factor to consider when designing a typeface. "Two key challenges lie in creating a custom font – on one hand, to be both distinctive and original, and on the other hand, to be highly legible. There's a strong tension between these two poles," said Jacob Thomas.
Is there potential in Bangladesh?
Although there are a few rising font foundries in Bangladesh, the monetary gains from font making in general remain low. In recent years, there has been an increasing trend of brands opting for their fonts. Besides, the demand for readily available fonts is also on the growing side.
"As a percentage of their total corporate revenue and marketing budget, Bangladeshi companies still spend far less on bespoke typography than global successful corporate brands typically do. I think this is changing now as companies realise that a visual brand is worth investing in, and as the role of visual brand is getting more attention," said Jacob.
"I think it will grow, but it will always be a small niche industry," he added.
