AFTER HOURS
TYPE DESIGNER BRUNO MAAG (CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF THE DALTON MAAG TYPE FOUNDRY) WAS THE RECENT GUEST IN OUR IB IMAGINATION SERIES – A MONTHLY EVENT WITH PEOPLE THAT INSPIRE US. HE SPOKE ABOUT THE BEAUTY OF TYPE AND ITS ROLE AS ONE OF THE MOST VALUABLE BRAND ASSETS. FOR US IT WAS AN EVENING OF INSPIRATION, EDUCATION AND PROVOCATION, FROM ONE OF THE MOST TALENTED AND OUTSPOKEN DESIGNERS OUT THERE. DEFINITELY OUR TYPE, THEN.
Bang & Olufsen
BMW
Ubuntu
BT Directory
Nokia Pure
Dubai Metro
Central School of Speech and Drama
Bruno Maag has a Swiss-German accent. If he was a butcher or a plumber that would be irrelevant, but in the typography arena it lends instant credibility. Combine that with an encyclopaedic knowledge of type and a contagious passion and you have the perfect guest for our Inspiration Series, a monthly event at Interbrand London with talks from people that inspire us. All in all, it was a treat for the type geeks (the ones drooling over his type specimen sheets) and an illuminating talk for the uninitiated. As the creative lead of Dalton Maag, Bruno has designed some of the most important and recognised corporate fonts of the past 20 years (some of them pictured above). He spoke to us about a life of craft and dedication, from his beginnings as a trainee in the Monotype offices in Salfords, near Gatwick, to the opportunity to design for a global audience with the Rio Olympics font. Bruno trained as a typesetter at the Tages-Anzeiger, Zurich, and then went on to study typography and visual communication at Basel School of Design, before joining Monotype where he spent six weeks drawing straight lines and perfecting the point where the curve meets the straight line. Although the making of a font is now a matter of code and complex engineering, he sees himself as a craftsman, still able to do a straight 20 cm line with less than 1 mm of deviation (try that at home later).
Tui Travel
Vodafone
Toyota
Cubo
McDonald’s
Effra (Activ)
Knight Frank
Bruno spoke about the two main benefits of owning a custom font: ‘It’s about recognition and having your unique voice, but it also makes financial sense as an upfront payment can be cheaper than the repeated licensing costs’. Creating a custom font for a business is giving it a voice, a tone and a volume. ‘Fonts are one of the most important elements for any brand toolkit’ – said Bruno – ‘and it’s important that the fonts you choose have the ability to work well in the variety of media that brands express themselves through these days’. After a period of uniform and bland web designs, the arrival of web fonts (and the possibility of displaying custom fonts online) has created a new golden age of custom typography.
“ Most people won’t be able to explain the difference between Gill Sans and Frutiger, but they will FEEL it”. Custom typography is a fundamental piece of any modern identity programme, an asset that no-one else can have (typically for 5 years, in some
Tui Travel
cases forever). And the more unique the font, the more original the way the organisation presents itself. ‘Recognising the individuality of our clients is at the core of what we do’, said Bruno, ‘and the design is tailored to the needs of each client’. ‘It’s all about originality – I always start from scratch with a font, it’s the only way to be completely original’. For a very flourished speaker, he is all about clarity and quiet personality when it comes to type, ‘to ensure that the reader can absorb the message with a minimum of distraction’. And he’s got a very particular way to talking about the emotions associated with it: ‘Most people won’t be able to explain the difference between Gill Sans and Frutiger, but they will FEEL it’. Even minor personality tweaks will create an impression. Bruno’s work will come to global prominence when his type for Rio 2016 is introduced to the world. It’s one of his biggest projects to date, and one that will take him to a global audience of billions. He has given a true unique voice to the city, inspired by the geography of the place and the motion of sport. To be able to capture time, place and direction is the true beauty of typography, and one that left us utterly enthralled.