 | NINE REASONS WHY YOU NEED TO INVEST IN A GOOD FONT |
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In this month’s round-up, we offer a deep dive into the real value, impact and power of fonts and offer you some handy arguments to counter any naysayers who ask that dreaded question, “Why should I pay for fonts?” (trust us – you want to read this). We also share a lovely use case for Tausend, award news for three (!) of our typefaces, news of our founder speaking at a conference (and a cheeky discount for tickets), a fine free book about accessibility as well as a brand new payment method. |
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 | | “Our customers don’t buy from us because of our fonts!” – “But every time they read something from us, our typeface communicates with them. Whether we want it to or not.” | |
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| | What to say when your Boss says “Why should I pay for fonts?”Imagine this, you finally get in front of the powers that be to pitch your stellar design presentation, complete with first-class fonts and a design you’re proud of. You’ve been working up to this for months. As you look around at all the faces in front of you, they are full of excitement, they’ve bought your concept and you’re about to hit the home stretch. And then comes the question… “But why should we pay for fonts?”. Your face falls flat and you’re crushed. All the hours of work you’ve put into this and it comes down to a question of cost. Don’t worry we’ve been there and we’ve got your back. We know how deflating it can be when you have to justify paying for fonts, so we’ve put together nine killer arguments to help you refute any questions or pushback. From helping show your bosses the true value of fonts and actual cost per day to getting into the nitty gritty of what a “Free” font really costs, from explaining why you really need a font to help your brand stand out to sharing scientific studies about the invisible yet essential power of typography and its often overlooked and added value, we have all the tools and arguments you need to help you persuade and convince your team. | |
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 | | On the screen at the Festival Theater: a grand entrance for the 2026 Berlinale Bear and his companion, the Tausend typeface | |
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 | | The official Berlinale 2026 festival poster, an eye-catcher at Alexanderplatz underground | |
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| | Tausend in the spotlight for Berlinale 2026Earlier this year, the great and the good from the film industry descended upon Berlin for the 76th Berlinale. This year’s festival was very memorable and made the headlines in many ways. But rather than gossip, we wanted to take a moment to shine a little spotlight on one of the more invisible yet essential stars of the show, our very own Tausend, a new sans-serif family from Fontwerk, designed by Christoph Koeberlin in collaboration with Gabriel Richter. Tausend became an integral part of the visual identity which included the Berlinale Bear and a beautiful and colourful particle-based key visual identity that was designed by Claudia Schramke. Tausend follows in the tradition of German sans-serif typefaces, but with an anarchic core: the slight overhang, the gentle top-heaviness, the smile and wink in the curves. It was used across the festival visuals, appearing as a wordmark and festival font. Koeberlin describes Tausand’s personality as: “Brutally honest, self-assured, and confident.” Not a bad choice for a festival that has had to weather a lot of headwinds. In particular the optical size Tausend Medium, which is dense, compact and with unpolished forms, leaves a strong and lasting impression on the branding. “Visually, Tausend stands out with its clear, concise design and unmistakable Berlin flair: minimalist, self-assured, and subtly distinctive. It remains understated enough not to dominate, yet possesses enough character to lend depth to the visual identity. Providing an ideal complement to the expressive yet delicate, particle-based key visual,” noted Claudia Schramke. For Fontwerk, the 2026 Berlinale appearance is more than just another case study. For the second year in a row, Claudia Schramke has chosen a typeface from our library for the globally renowned film festival (in 2025, she chose Pangea). | |
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 | | Pangea, Neue DIN and Sukoon have all been awarded Silver by DMIG | |
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| | Award Hat Trick for Fontwerk | |
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 Our founder, Ivo Gabrowitsch, will be taking the stage at BOLD Festival, a two-day festival all about Graphic Design and Creativity from 9–10 November in Brno (CZ). In his impassioned Talk, titled “Why Brands Have Lost Their Voice” he will argue the case for fonts as a business decision that has a lasting impact on brand recognition, consistency and value. He will draw on his decades of experience working at the intersection of typography, branding and business – at FontShop, Monotype and as founder and managing director of Fontwerk and as a lecturer in typography at Berlin University of Applied Sciences and Technology (BHT). Tickets are available over at BRNOBOLD and as a subscriber of Werknews you can get 10% off using the code bb_26_fontwerk. ↗ |
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 Accessibility for Everyone is an invaluable guide for anyone who wants to ensure that their web design is more inclusive. In her free book, Laura Kalbag guides you through the accessibility landscape, from the laws you need to abide by to understanding impairment and disability challenges to testing accessible design, this book is a must-read. With thanks to The Index for bringing this incredible resource to our attention. ↗ |
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 Alongside a few minor improvements to the checkout process, we’ve recently introduced a much more significant feature: Payment by Bank Transfer. For any customers operating in the SEPA region, you can now pay using three methods: Credit Card, PayPal and now Bank Transfer. This applies to all 27 EU member states, as well as Albania, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Vatican City – so the Pope won’t have to dig for his credit card when he buys his next variable font. How does it work? Simply select the “Bank Transfer” button when making your purchase. As soon as we’ve received and processed your payment, you’ll receive your fonts. If there are any other payment methods you’d like to see, please let us know! ↗ |
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In our efforts to ensure that we meet the needs of all our customers and also support those who want to make the world a better place, we’re delighted to offer a special discount to nonprofits, cultural organizations and artists. Whether you’re involved in charitable, cultural activities or represent a recognized institution and need the fonts for this purpose, just activate the “Cultural and Nonprofit Discount 25%” button in the “Discounts” drop-down menu before selecting the product. Not sure if you qualify or are eligible for this discount? |
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