Sweden Has Its Own Font
But they’re worried it’s maybe a little too nationalistic (at least for them).
By Sven Carlsson
Type has a way of speaking to us. I mean, of course it does: Type spells out words. So let me rephrase that: Typefaces have a way of speaking to us.
Comic Sans can’t be taken seriously. Helvetica, ubiquitous, clean, used everywhere from corporate logos to the New York City subway, is often used for clarity and neutrality.
But what if you need your font to represent a whole country?
That’s the aim of Sweden Sans, a typeface commissioned by the Swedish government. It’s designed to give a consistent voice to the country’s international promotions, from Sweden’s official compilation of pop music to a slick new national website.
According to its creators, Stockholm design agency Söderhavet and font designer Stefan Hattenbach, Sweden Sans is a “modern” but edgy typeface with some local tweaks — a filled ring over the letter “å,” for instance, and a line that cuts through the zero — and takes its inspiration from old street signs.
