WHY LICENSE FONTS AT ALL?

There’s nothing like the satisfaction of finding the perfect typeface. One that fits your project like a glove—clear, authentic and most of all, recognizable. But then comes the team meeting. Instead of excitement and enthusiasm, you’re bombarded with questions: ‘Why not just use Google Fonts? Wouldn’t Open Sans work just as well? Do we really need to spend money on this?’

We hear this scenario all too often from you, our clients. And of course, we understand that commercially licensed fonts cost money and that there are free alternatives everywhere. But when it comes to brand identity, typefaces are what set you apart—especially in the digital space. When everyone uses the same typefaces, brands become invisible.

But don’t worry: We’ve written an article that will help you answer critical questions convincingly and refute killer arguments. It includes a printable handout with eight key considerations for your next meeting that your project managers, your management and your clients should know about.

One of our core arguments in the ‘Why License Fonts?’ article is that the value of the right typeface outweighs its cost. Let’s illustrate this directly with a use case that, in our view, speaks for itself.

Lonely Planet books have long been known as every backpacker’s most coveted and well-loved bible. As the world’s largest provider of independent travel and language guides, they publish over 650 titles with a total print run of around 55 million copies.

Back in 2022, they commissioned Garrett Elizabeth Office to redesign and revamp the brand and come up with a brand new visual design for both print and online.

Pangea was chosen as their corporate typeface and now graces the pages of all their printed guides and across their city maps. We have compiled this use case, which is also very special to us, into the most comprehensive one in our gallery to date.