Brazilian bank follows custom typeface trend

Following big brand such as Airbnb and YouTube, Itau Unibanco, Brazil’s largest bank, has launched a custom typeface bearing the bank’s name. The new typeface can be used in every aspect of the brand, like presentations, circulars to employees, customer and shareholder collateral and it can be implemented both locally and internationally.

The new typeface was designed by font foundry Dalton Maag, which has also designed the custom typefaces for Amazon and Netflix, to name a few. The new approach offers consistency across the brand’s platforms and creates a strong branding among the bank’s internal and external communications.

Alexander Guazzelli, senior manager of design at Itaú, says, “The idea is to create a typeface for Itaú based on the need for a font with characteristics specific for the digital world without losing sight of its application in other medias.We attach great importance to creating something which transmits maximum legibility, efficiency and reduced heaviness, without sacrificing the characteristics that the existing font (Myriad) brings to the brand such as proximity, lightness and dynamism.”

Itaú’s typeface was produced over 10 months. Before its final release, Itaú’s research team assessed the reception of the new font by 1,200 customers, and tested it with the bank’s employees. Itaú’s research used quantitative analysis, implicit association and semiotics.

The Itaú font offers two variations: display and text. Display was designed to be used in a larger scale, while text was designed for the better adaptation of the font in the brand’s digital touchpoints, especially for mobile, as the letters are more widely spaced.

The decision to adopt a custom typeface, has not only created a strong, consistent brand for the bank that helps customers identify it among its competitors, but also to benefit Itaú financially, eliminating the costs of type licensing.

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