The aged logo and Web site for MyFonts, an online type shop, were long overdue for a freshening. The company recently took bold leaps in both arenas.
The Logo
It may not come as a surprise that the old MyFonts logo — designed in 1999 — was originally intended to be a temporary placeholder.
Nine years later, MyFonts worked closely with graphic design studio Underware to create a new official logo.
Click the image below to see a larger version.
Underware and MyFonts tell the story of the logo’s creation:
“Developing an official logotype for an organization that deals with fonts is an extremely daunting assignment… no matter what the solution is, it is bound to be scrutinized as some kind of ultimate statement about superior fonts and typography.
“To approach the task from the most obvious angle, one would probably try to find a solution which could represent a wide range of styles in one logo. For example: using multiple fonts, or varying the positioning and weight within the logo to convey a sense of typographic diversity.
“When reinventing the MyFonts logo, we experimented with similar approaches, but ultimately decided to express something more than the idea that MyFonts is just a place with a bunch of fonts. In our minds, MyFonts — and particularly the new incarnation of MyFonts — represents not only the largest collection of fonts in existence, but also a place where the user is the center of attention, and the creative spirit thrives.
“Underware’s long time fascination with optical illusions and ambigrams fit perfectly with the goal of creating a more conceptual logo — one decisive wordmark that could also express supplementary ideas about creativity, individuality, and DIY productivity.
“The new MyFonts logotype is made with a broom instead of a brush. It has a secret bonus for those who get it, but still functions as a contemporary hand-painted logo for those who don’t. As any detailed explanation would ruin the magic, we’ll leave it at that.”
Can you spot the secret bonus?
The Web Site
The old Web site was definitely looking a little dated:
The new site, still in beta but viewable at https://new.myfonts.com/, is a vast improvement:
Click the image below to see a larger version.
This article was last modified on December 17, 2022
This article was first published on January 14, 2009
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