5 ms·

I find it profoundly stupid for Airbnb to have their own typeface. It's like they have lots of designers around and have to keep them busy with something. Well

by iblo66 8y ago

I find it profoundly stupid for Airbnb to have their own typeface. It's like they have lots of designers around and have to keep them busy with something. Well at least they did not give them the usual entertainment for bored designers: redesigning stuff that does not need a redesign.

huac 8y ago
Creating a typeface which you own is cheaper than licensing a third-party typeface, at scale.
- CharlesW 8y ago
  There are lots of really great open source typefaces. In my experience, these choice tend to be more about branding than cost savings (not that cost savings isn't a nice potential benefit).
- kossae 8y ago
  This is likely the reason. I forget the article/post, but I recall reading about this on HN a while back. Basically the licensing for fonts across all platforms can become very costly, so developing a typeface in house becomes an appealing choice once your designs are in front of X number of people (commercial/web/print/etc).
  - amptorn 8y ago
    This is definitely the reason IBM invented Plex -- they have designers aplenty after the IBM Design initiative a few years back and they discovered that unfortunately Helvetica Neue costs money.
- phkahler 8y ago
  >> Creating a typeface which you own is cheaper than licensing a third-party typeface, at scale. The cheapest fonts are the ones installed on a users system. Web sites and apps do not need to include fonts at all. In fact it's easy to argue that the users should be selecting the fonts on their devices in most cases.
  - mozumder 8y ago
    Never let the user control your brand. System fonts should always be thrown away. Every company web site & app needs to include their own font. Otherwise, you become a commodity, and you can be replaced by your competitors. Business is about being different from competitors, not the same. And people buy things that look good. Companies that have crappy branding lose money, because they lose customers to other companies.
    - jadedhacker 8y ago
      If your major differentiating factor is mainly branding, you are already a commodity. Customers will often use shitty looking products if there's something in it for them.
      - ggg9990 8y ago
        Not for a network effect business. A network effect business doesn’t need a strong advantage or even any advantage if the network is strong enough. Note that eBay has barely changed in 20 years yet is still the only place to go to get Hamburglar sunglasses or whatever.
        jadedhacker 8y ago
        Good point.
- 6cd6beb 8y ago
  If they just said that I'd respect it more than I do after 1500 words of self aggrandizing nonsense about how no other typeface reflects "their brand's personality". This is why people make fun of silicon valley. Your new font isn't changing the world and it's not adding value to anything. Certainly not adding value equal to its cost.
m_ke 8y ago
It probably took a week just to put together this post. I bet it's great for recruiting though. Kind of like google letting researchers waste half their time writing papers and going to conferences.
- manigandham 8y ago
  Recruiting who though? More designers?
  - m_ke 8y ago
    Yes
phailhaus 8y ago
Why do you think it's stupid? Having your own typeface makes your brand subconsciously recognizable at a glance.
- jrs95 8y ago
  Given how similar it is to Netflix Sans (and probably many other Sans fonts) I highly doubt that this is something you would prove if you were to test it.
  - phailhaus 8y ago
    Yes, which is why I said subconsciously.
mortenjorck 8y ago
It's a prestige thing. The current wave can probably be traced to Microsoft in the early 2010s, with its bespoke Segoe type family. Google followed with Roboto, then Apple with SF, and now you've got everyone from Coca-Cola to CNN commissioning their own type families.
- janc_ 8y ago
  (Large) companies & publishers have had their own typefaces designed since long (centuries) before that. It got cheaper since the same electronic font can be used for (almost) all sizes, design purposes, etc. though, so it's also happening more often now.

by iblo66 8y ago

huac 8y ago

Creating a typeface which you own is cheaper than licensing a third-party typeface, at scale.

CharlesW 8y ago
There are lots of really great open source typefaces. In my experience, these choice tend to be more about branding than cost savings (not that cost savings isn't a nice potential benefit).
kossae 8y ago
This is likely the reason. I forget the article/post, but I recall reading about this on HN a while back. Basically the licensing for fonts across all platforms can become very costly, so developing a typeface in house becomes an appealing choice once your designs are in front of X number of people (commercial/web/print/etc).
- amptorn 8y ago
  This is definitely the reason IBM invented Plex -- they have designers aplenty after the IBM Design initiative a few years back and they discovered that unfortunately Helvetica Neue costs money.
phkahler 8y ago
>> Creating a typeface which you own is cheaper than licensing a third-party typeface, at scale. The cheapest fonts are the ones installed on a users system. Web sites and apps do not need to include fonts at all. In fact it's easy to argue that the users should be selecting the fonts on their devices in most cases.
- mozumder 8y ago
  Never let the user control your brand. System fonts should always be thrown away. Every company web site & app needs to include their own font. Otherwise, you become a commodity, and you can be replaced by your competitors. Business is about being different from competitors, not the same. And people buy things that look good. Companies that have crappy branding lose money, because they lose customers to other companies.
  - jadedhacker 8y ago
    If your major differentiating factor is mainly branding, you are already a commodity. Customers will often use shitty looking products if there's something in it for them.
    - ggg9990 8y ago
      Not for a network effect business. A network effect business doesn’t need a strong advantage or even any advantage if the network is strong enough. Note that eBay has barely changed in 20 years yet is still the only place to go to get Hamburglar sunglasses or whatever.
      - jadedhacker 8y ago
        Good point.
6cd6beb 8y ago
If they just said that I'd respect it more than I do after 1500 words of self aggrandizing nonsense about how no other typeface reflects "their brand's personality". This is why people make fun of silicon valley. Your new font isn't changing the world and it's not adding value to anything. Certainly not adding value equal to its cost.

m_ke 8y ago

It probably took a week just to put together this post. I bet it's great for recruiting though. Kind of like google letting researchers waste half their time writing papers and going to conferences.

manigandham 8y ago
Recruiting who though? More designers?
- m_ke 8y ago
  Yes

phailhaus 8y ago

Why do you think it's stupid? Having your own typeface makes your brand subconsciously recognizable at a glance.

jrs95 8y ago
Given how similar it is to Netflix Sans (and probably many other Sans fonts) I highly doubt that this is something you would prove if you were to test it.
- phailhaus 8y ago
  Yes, which is why I said subconsciously.

mortenjorck 8y ago

It's a prestige thing. The current wave can probably be traced to Microsoft in the early 2010s, with its bespoke Segoe type family. Google followed with Roboto, then Apple with SF, and now you've got everyone from Coca-Cola to CNN commissioning their own type families.

janc_ 8y ago
(Large) companies & publishers have had their own typefaces designed since long (centuries) before that. It got cheaper since the same electronic font can be used for (almost) all sizes, design purposes, etc. though, so it's also happening more often now.