It’s true.

IKEA abandons ~50 years of Futura and Century Schoolbook for … Verdana. In an interview with swedish design magazine CAP&DESIGN the reason for the change is to be able to use the same font i all countries, including asian countries. Also they want to be able to give the same visual impression both in print and the web.

For me it’s a sad day. What are your thoughts on this matter?

It strikes me as a strange rationale, surely a company the size of Ikea could afford to have a customised version for international use developed. I really would love to know what the explanation from the agency behind this move is. http://typophile.com/node/61222

Besides the obvious comments that a screen font shouldn't be used for print, one person made this astute observation: > On the other hand, the web-immersed among those young people might feel subliminally quite at home in a store filled with Verdana.

There's even an online petition to reverse this decision: > To: Ikea

Ikea was always considered one of the top global advocates for good design, through their products and catalogue designs. Their identity was minimalist, clean, using classic typefaces derived from Futura (Ikea Sans) and Century Schoolbook (Ikea Serif).

This summer, something terrible happened. The typefaces in both printed and electronic communications were replaced with Verdana, a typeface designed specifically for being legible on computer screens at small sizes. More details here:http://www.iancul.com/blog/2009/08/25/ikea-sans-replaced-by-verdana/

We, the undersigned designers, consider this to be a mutilation of Ikea's long admired design philosophy. It is sad this is happening, and it undermines Ikea's design leadership. Please bring Ikea Sans/Serif back, or get a proper typeface instead of Verdana!

Thank you Ikea, for still believing in the value of good design and for listening to us!

Sincerely,

The Undersigned http://www.petitiononline.com/IKEAVERD/petition.html

interesting that they are letting someone lead them around by the nuts, says a lot about current management.

Seems to me that they are all missing the fact that consolidating print and online typography is actually a minimalistic move. Why use different fonts for different media?

I've been doing a lot lately with web-friendly fonts for design and even identity work. It certainly makes web marketing easier.

Because display fonts and print fonts behave differently, that's why. Verdana looks like shit when it's made into signage because of its extra-wide tracking & exaggerated character shapes ... designed to overcome the limitations of screen display at small sizes.

Basically, a corporate design identity should definitely take the constraints of web design into consideration but should not constrain itself to web design's limitations. Why sacrifice larger design standards to the technical limitations of a specific medium?

I realize that web and print have very different concerns but switching your entire design identity to a display font shows such utter ignorance of typographic design that I can't think of a single reason why it would be a good idea. You could sell that idea, claiming "consistent look & feel" or something, but the only people that would buy it would be those with little experience working with graphic designers, and frankly you would be doing them a disservice. The craft of graphic design, especially typography, has gone downhill a lot since software has made it all so easy - frankly I think it's made designers sloppier, and made the field so accessible that it's difficult to tell good, traditionally founded design that maintains a cutting edge sensibility through creativity as opposed to just breaking rules that weren't really followed to begin with.

Supporting moves like switching your catalogue typefaces to Verdana is part of the problem, not part of the solution.

And I'm not even a real type nerd, I can only imagine how much gnashing of teeth this causes them.

Yeah, but it's not like their shit wasn't ugly beforehand.

Cry if you want over the loss of poor Futura, but if you ask me, sticking to it for some sort of minimalist ideal is kind of like liking vanilla and eating nothing but vanilla-flavored things, even if they are hot dogs or Swedish meatballs.

At least swapping to Verdana is an acknowledgment that they don't really give a fuck about typography, but instead just want to sell furniture to college kids and divorced men.

and us poor beach dwellers in need of bamboo chaise lounge chairs!!

http://www.jonathancoulton.com/mp3/Ikea.mp3

Long ago in days of yore It all began with a god named Thor There were Vikings and boats And some plans for a furniture store It’s not a bodega, it’s not a mall And they sell things for apartments smaller than mine As if there were apartments smaller than mine

Ikea: just some oak and some pine and a handful of Norsemen Ikea: selling furniture for college kids and divorced men Everyone has a home But if you don’t have a home you can buy one there

So rent a car or take the bus Lay your cash down and put your trust In the land where the furniture folds to a much smaller size Billy the bookcase says hello And so does a table whose name is Ingo And the chair is a ladder-back birch but his friends call him Karl

Ikea: just some oak and some pine and a handful of Norsemen Ikea: selling furniture for college kids and divorced men Everyone has a home But if you don’t have a home you can buy one there

Ikea: plywood, brushed steel Ikea: meatballs, tasty Ikea: Allen wrenches All of them for free All of them for me

I’m sorry I said Ikea sucks I just bought a table for 60 bucks And a chair and a lamp And a shelf and some candles for you I was a doubter just like you Till I saw the American dream come true In New Jersey, they got a goddamned Swedish parade

Ikea: just some oak and some pine and a handful of Norsemen Ikea: selling furniture for college kids and divorced men Everyone has a home But if you don’t have a home you can buy one there

I <3 Jonathan Coulton.

Well, he is a hot piece of ass, but he's no Futura.

I swear, just thinking about those sweet descenders without any serifs make me want to yank it big time. Ooooh yeah.

Oh my god Becky, look at that layout It's not using a Microsoft font She looks like one of those classic designer fonts Who understands those classic fonts Designers only rely on her because she looks balanced and scans well I mean her bowls They're just so big I can't believe they're so round It's just out there I mean, it's gross Look, she's just so modern

I like big bowls and I cannot lie You other brothers can't deny That when a font walks in with an modern stem And a round and clean font face You get sprung

Wanna do pushups up like Jack Palance Cuz you notice that descender's balanced Deep in the baseline's leading I'm hot like heavy petting

Oh, baby I wanna get with ya And flow you on my picture My homeboys tried to warn me But that bowl you got Make Me so horny

Ooh, font of smooth lines You say you wanna get in my designs Well I won't call the sheriff cuz you aint that average sans serif

I've seen that kernin' To hell with yearnin' Futura's a full family set, got it goin like a turbo vette

Ikea switches their fonts, type nerds freak out

Originally posted by: arigato Because display fonts and print fonts behave differently ... extra-wide tracking & exaggerated character shapes ... design standards ... such utter ignorance of typographic design ... craft of graphic design, especially typography, has gone downhill ...

QED

Are you agreeing with me, calling me a nerd, or both?

Nerdpatico extra bold.

Well I get sprung.

hmph.