The ABC is Australia’s most trusted media brand. It is loved for its great content, which is available across multiple devices and platforms. So they set out to create a font family which unifies their digital presence across multiple platforms, while also being best-in-class for legibility and accessibility. It would be designed to replace the thousands of font configurations in use across the ABC, allow for a proud, uniquely Australian typographical expression, and align with their charter to deliver content that contributes to our national identity. A single ABC font family would also reduce annual licensing costs associated with the numerous fonts previously used across the organisation.
But how do you design your country’s national font? We hoped to encapsulate a sense of open space, a contrast that is simultaneously austere and rich, and a sense of inclusiveness. We also aimed for a tone of voice which was serious enough for news but light enough to suit a wide variety of human interest stories.
The family contains six sans-serif weights, three serif weights and two rounded weights designed for children’s programming.
You can see the fonts in action in this showreel video from BDA Creative. You can also read an extended article about the design process here.
Broadcast design images courtesy of bdacreative.com
- Custom type
- Typeface Design