The outrage has been amusing to say the least and the vehicles for protest are the usual suspects: blog postings, twitter updates – even petitions … no we’re not talking about health care… we’re talking about something much more serious – typefaces! Specifically, Ikea’s recent decision to switch from using Futura, a classic typeface that they have successfully used for 50 years, to Verdana, a font designed for Microsoft back in 1996.
While I understand the reaction and where it originates from (Verdana was originally designed for on screen viewing, improving readability at small sizes) for me, seeing Verdana in print is just… weird. It’s as if the real font wasn’t present when the catalog went to press and we wound up with a system default in its place.
What ultimately matters though isn’t designer opinions, but customer reaction and any changes in brand perception. Currently, the public’s perception of the Ikea brand is a half-empty, half-full kind of thing. Some see it as a refined brand that understands and values design. Others see it as cheap utilitarian furniture that you use to furnish a dorm room or first apartment. It’s this contradiction that contributes to Ikea’s wide appeal.
With this almost perfect balance of form and function, the choice of Verdana can be seen as tipping the scales too much into the utilitarian camp. The official word from Ikea spokeswoman Camilla Meiby seems to indicate that this was the reasoning behind the decision, “Verdana is a simple, cost-effective font which works well in all media and languages”. This is definitely understandable considering that the Ikea catalogue is produced in in 27 languages for 35 countries (55 editions total).
This will be interesting to watch as it unfolds. Will Ikea pull a Tropicana and revert to Futura or will they stick it out? One thing’s for certain, it will not be decided by designers, it’s all up to Ikea’s customers.
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