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Creativity Online

Rate the Ad: Ikea Typeface

After 50 years, Ikea makes a huge change

Published: Sep 01, 2009

Last week we asked you to rate the game faces, er "Playfaces" of PS3 players, a W+K/Tokyo campaign that turned the cameras on gamers in action. The campaign had already drummed up a bit of controversy, for looking uncannily similar to a series of shots of gamers photographer Phil Toledano had shot years ago. Reader Brettwild also did another double take when viewing this ad, opining, "the idea was much stronger when used in the Cannes winning sex toy ads [from Coco de Mer] where the people took shots of their actual climax faces." Subscriber Zeke86 let out a "Yawn," while Dukker took the opportunity to make a more political comment: "That's my Healthcare Reform Debate Face."

Futura is the old Ikea
Futura is the old Ikea
This time around, we ask you to consider another effort that has sparked a lot of ire, at least among typeface aficionados. Ikea recently debuted its 2010 catalog—did you see these cute new stools? Anyway, the annual tome upset a lot of people who noticed that the company's go-to Futura font, which it had used for 50-some years, was now replaced by the more commonplace Verdana, a typeface made for computer screens. Where do you stand on this matter? Should Futura be back in Ikea's future? Should quibblers just let go of their anger and get to shopping? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Verdana stay or go?
Verdana stay or go?

4 Comments: By jberthelet September 1st, 2009 06:00:43 pm

Two things bother me with the switch Ikea has made from good old Futura to Verdana. Aside from the loss of character and slight « disconnect » that the new font generates, the decision to use ALL CAPS instead of the traditional Ikea lower case makes for a much less sympathetic feel. I am a brand builder and don't expect this change to create any large scale panic or generate any visible or perceptible impact on Ikea and think that the brand stewards at Ikea probably feel that the brand needs to grow with its customers - who aren't the traditional students or first home buyers of the past but who are todays more mature customers who are in the market for good design at a fair price and who compare Ikea to other furniture retailers. In the long run, it just makes the brand that much less approachable. Is that a bad thing? I think so.

By kykimo@gmail.com September 2nd, 2009 10:44:57 am

This is a good change, I LOVE it.
Ikea is no longer the same company it was 50 years ago. The lower case did made it look more approachable but it was somewhat informal and outdated. With the direction that the company is going, the all caps change does make a statement; 'We are stronger than ever' and 'We make a different to home owner in the last 50 years'.
(Connecticut)

By Dukker September 2nd, 2009 11:45:12 pm

In this millenium, the single thing to have the greatest impact on both household and workplace is the computer. This subtle acknowledgment that our living

By wakeman360 September 8th, 2009 12:54:39 pm

This is a daring type choice for IKEA. In design schools we conventionally teach students to avoid using Verdana in print. Matthew Carter designed Verdana for Microsoft in 1996 with the intention of creating a face that would read well on-screen at small sizes. By breaking typographic conventions and using this face in integrated branding (and print), it could be argued that IKEA has made a "bad" choice. On the same hand, perhaps it could be argued that Verdana is so bad, its cool. Although Verdana is dated, one cannot help but appreciate the risky decision made to resurrect an under-used Carter typeface. There is cohesion between the IKEA wordmark and the letterforms of Verdana. Maybe in this case a risky type choice actually works...

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