Fontwerk

Berlin

Fonts in use: Change

CI for a city in transition

Change Letter typeface (yet unreleased) in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface – Brandenburg Gate
The campaign was introduced with several events across the city, e.g. at the Brandenburg Gate (Change Letter; © Fuenfwerken Design AG)

At the height of the Be Berlin image campaign—which was launched in 2008—the Berlin Senate decided in 2012 to introduce a new corporate design across their administrative offices. The old logo was replaced by the Be Berlin logo, and the speech bubble also made its way into the corporate identity toolbox.

T

he aim of the new design was to create a uniform appearance for all Berlin administrations and their subordinate authorities in order to improve recognition and strengthen their external image.

The Berlin campaign got its unmistakable profile from the typeface Change, which was developed in 2008 and designed by Alessio Leonardi. The eye-catching slab serif carried the advertising messages in the first phase of the campaign and became a set piece for all Berliners, who wrote three-line declarations of love for their city in the Be Berlin bubble.

The Governing Mayor Klaus Wowereit wanted to use the campaign typography across the city’s communication and this led to the development of the more neutral Change Sans subfamily. The original typewriter-style font was given the name “Change Letter”. Change Sans was optimized for longer texts and small print, with proportional widths, simpler letters, narrow running and a slightly lighter base cut to enhance the contrast between Regular and Bold.

Change Letter (yet unreleased) in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface – Installation sign-board highway
Installation of a sign-board at the highway (Change Letter; © Fuenfwerken Design AG)

In 2022, Fontwerk cooperated with Alessio Leonardi to completely revise and extend Change, resulting in the brand new Change-(Sans)-Subfamily. The number of weights has increased from five to eleven and it is now available as a variable font; hundreds of weights can now be set between the extremes of Hairline and ExtraBlack.

Futhermore, the character set has also been expanded to meet current standards. Glyphs for the non-Latin languages Cyrillic, Greek and Vietnamese have been revised, quality-checked and tested by experienced experts. Finally, small caps have been added to all weights to expand Change’s typographic diversity.

Change yourself

Change Letter typeface (yet unreleased) in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface – Billboard campaign Leipziger Straße
Billboard campaign on Leipziger Straße (Change Letter; © Embassy Berlin)
Change Letter typeface (yet unreleased) in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface
Ad motif (Change Letter; © Fuenfwerken Design AG)
Change Letter typeface (yet unreleased) in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface – Billboard campaign Leipziger Straße
Billboard campaign on Leipziger Straße (Change Letter; © Embassy Berlin)
Change in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface - Cover brochure
Cover of one of many brochures published by the Berlin Senate (Change)
Change Letter (yet unreleased) and Change in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface – Ad on a tram
Ad campaign on a streetcar (Change)
Change in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface - Annual Report Senatskanzlei Wissenschaft und Forschung
Cover of the Annual Report of the Senatskanzlei Wissenschaft und Forschung (Change)
Change in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface – Information board forest playground Blankenfelde
Information board forest playground Blankenfelde (Change)
Change in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface - Brochure cover
Cover of an information brochure about a public building development (Change)
Change in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface – Brochure map
Map inside an information brochure about a public building development (Change)
Change in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface - Brochure detail inside
Inside an information brochure about a public building development (Change)
Change Letter (yet unreleased) in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface – Brandenburg Gate
The campaign was introduced with several events across the city, e.g. at the Brandenburg Gate (Change Letter; © Embassy Berlin)
Change Letter typeface (yet unreleased) in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface
Be Berlin campaign on the floor of a station (Change Letter; © Fuenfwerken Design AG)
Change in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface – Landeszentrale für Politische Bildung
On the building of the Berliner Landeszentrale für politische Bildung (Center for Political Education; Change)
Change Letter (yet unreleased) and Change in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface – Corona websit
Screenshot website www.berlin.de/buergeraktiv (Change Letter and Change)
Change in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface - Logo berlin unterwegs campaign
Logo berlin unterwegs campaign (Change)
Change Letter (yet unreleased) and Change in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface
Corona campaign (Change Letter and Change)
Change Letter typeface (yet unreleased) in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface – Social media campaign ‘Freiheit’
Social media campaign ‘Freiheit’ (Freedom; Change Letter and Change)
Change in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface – Facing hoarding Rotes Rathaus
Facing hoarding Rotes Rathaus (Change)
Change in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface – Facing hoarding Rotes Rathaus
Facing hoarding Rotes Rathaus (Change)
Change Letter (yet unreleased) and Change in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface – Sticker Police
Burglary protection sticker campaign with patina (Change)
Change in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface – Bicycle road in Pankow
Information banner bicycle street in Pankow Ossietzkystraße (Change)
Change in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface – Corona information for schools
Information brochure on corona programs in Berlin schools and kindergardens (Change)
Change in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface – Corona information for schools and kindergardens
Information brochure on corona programs in Berlin schools and kindergardens (Change)
Change in use as Berlin’s corporate typeface - Information sign Fauler See
Sign at the Fauler See with patina (as well as some typical Berliner raw language)

Change yourself