RUV TYPE, A CUSTOM-MADE SUPERFAMILY

When switching corporate typefaces, retail and semi-custom fonts remain the top choice due to their quick availability and lower costs. However, in some cases, the requirements for a new corporate typeface are so specific that only an exclusive solution will do. Recently, we had the privilege of designing such a custom font for R+V Insurance, one of Germany’s largest insurance companies.

R+V were on the hunt for a future-proof alternative to replace their existing typeface, FF Marselis. They were keen to carefully evolve their brand and find a superfamily that consisted of a sans serif, slab serif and serif. While sans-serif/serif and sans-serif/slab pairs are not uncommon, the three-part configuration of serif/sans-serif/slab-serif is rare. After extensive research, no retail typeface was found that could meet the requirements, so we set about coming up with a solution for them and embarked on our most ambitious custom type project to date.

To ensure the success of the project, teamwork and close collaboration with R+V was vital. Our agile structure and international network allow us to assemble the ideal team for every project. For ‘RuV Type,’ we were joined by Jan Fromm, who is known for his wide stylistic range and with whom we had previously collaborated on the extensive serif typeface family ‘Nice’ (which is currently being expanded to include a similarly extensive sans serif counterpart).

We also worked closely with the Marketing, UI and Design teams from R+V as well as the agency, MetaDesign. Our focus, first and foremost, was on creating a typeface that embodies the client’s brand values and which could stand the test of time and the demands of today’s digital and ever-evolving environments.

From the first initial sketches right through to the final intensive test phase, we worked hard to push and test the typeface to ensure it would meet R+V’s needs. By the end of the project, we delivered a three-part exclusive typeface family, which included 24 static and six variable fonts, each with 568 characters and support for approximately 100 Latin-based languages.

We are so proud of this project and deeply inspired by the exceptionally great collaboration. When a client embodies its brand values as R+V does, translating them into design criteria comes easily.

Whilst studying typography under Professor Andreas Hogan at Trier University of Applied Sciences, Jana Heinz developed the branding for a fictional mental health foundation for young people, GRŌA.

As the corporate typeface for the branding, Jana chose Nikolai, designed by Franziska Weitgruber. It is complemented by the sans-serif New Reason by Newlyn, which mostly appears in capital texts. Nikolai not only carries the GRŌA logo, but also characterizes the entire advertising communication as well as the editorial design of the foundation brochure and the in-house magazine ‘Smaragd’.

With its expressive italics, strong contrasts and carefully balanced proportions, Nikolai gives the visual appearance an unmistakable voice: elegant, yet lively and approachable.

The branding was such a hit that it won a Junior Corporate Design Prize after it was published.