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IBM Is Designing A New Typeface To Demonstrate The Brand’s Values http://ift.tt/2ncamS7 IBM Is Designing A New Typeface To Demonstrate The Brand’s ValuesMike Abbink set out to create a new font for IBM that reflected the company's many achievements and history Helvetica was created in 1957 by Swiss typeface designer Max Miedinger, and commonly gets used to this day. Many school students know it as the last thing they have to add to their essay prior to turning it in to their professors. While it remains a distinct font, technology company IBM didn’t want to continue using it and instead wanted something new to display on their products. Through a rigorous process, IBM’s executive creative director Mike Abbink was able to develop a new typeface called IBM Plex. To learn how to create an ideal typeface that reflected IBM, Abbink decided to delve into the company’s archives to research its history and learn what made it unique from the start. The company contains over a hundred years of rich history where it was around during the United States’ Great Depression and operated through both World Wars. Abbink and his team took notice of what IBM was turning into following the second World War where they reviewed the company’s logo prior to them settling on the eight-bar one they have presently. For the team, what stuck out the most from the older logos was the way the letters were structured and how they were drawn. Normally, the letters of IBM get perfectly outlined and look the same with every stroke. The logo that was introduced in 1947 had small mistakes, with the letter ‘M’ having more characteristics than the ‘I’ or the ‘B’. To them, they felt a person had gone out of their way to draw the letter and it wasn’t something digitally typed out. They wanted to return to this unique behavior and bring it to a typeface they felt was worthy to reside alongside Helvetica. On IBM’s YouTube page, they released a video series documenting Abbink’s approach to the IBM Plex called “Eye On”. They released the first episode on Dec 16, 2016 and released the second one on Oct 24, 2017. The second episode was broken down into six individual videos with quick to watch subjects, but also made one long 21 minute video for anyone who wants to run through it without having to transition between specific topics of the episode. IBM plans to launch IBM Plex sometime in early 2018 with a Beta available to anyone interested in testing out current finish of the typeface. Mobile Marketing via PSFK http://www.psfk.com/ November 28, 2017 at 05:21AM
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