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Even billion dollar brands start with free fonts to make their logos

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An extensive Twitter thread spells out which free or inexpensive fonts to start with to at least closely mimic the logos of Netflix, LinkedIn, Google, Amazon, and so many more.

A surprising number of corporate, big brand logos are based on fonts that any Mac user can access for free or at low cost. A thread on Twitter has demonstrated around how readily 30 different logos can be done with these fonts.

The thread by Twitter user Emmanuel Lumumba, compiles these logos from original discussions on Instagram. Most use the font name embedded within whatever other graphic elements the brands use.

It's revealing of just how many companies begin their logo designs by choosing fonts. However, very few of the 30 or so stop there — the majority make significant changes to the lettering.

For instance, BBC News did start with the font face Gill Sans, but it subtly alters the width of each letter's stroke in "BBC." It also very slightly kerns the E and W in "News" to bring the letters closer together.

Similarly, Google uses its own proprietary font Product Sans, which is not available freely, and even then alters it. The Google logo has a slightly lighter weight than the original font.

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Netflix appears to use Bebas Neue with no obvious alteration other than the arch that it uses on the text sometimes. Spotify uses the Gotham font face, as does TikTok. However, TikTok uses a heavier weight of the font face.

Similarly, Amazon uses a slightly heavier, thicker version of the Officina Sans font, which LG appears to use Helvetica Black unaltered.

More than two thirds of the logos listed also add further graphic elements, such as Nike's swish-tick, or Skype's blue cloud background.

The fonts listed are chiefly available either already installed on a Mac, such as Helvetica, or from various sources such as DaFont, or 1001 Free Fonts.

AppleInsider has a guide to installing fonts on a Mac, and to making them available for all users of the device.



3 Comments

mike1 11 Years · 3452 comments



For instance, BBC News did start with the font face Gill Sans, but it subtly alters the width of each letter's stroke in "BBC." It also very slightly kerns the E and W in "News" to bring the letters closer together.

Kerning is used to adjust the spacing between characters to make the word look better. Nothing to do with changing the font.

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macplusplus 10 Years · 2116 comments

That has nothing to do with free fonts. They've chosen those fonts because of their popularity and their suitability for reproduction on different media, sizes and shapes. And also most popular fonts have free counterparts, which use different names than trademarked ones. Those different names may help in distinguishing free fonts from "pirated" ones. The emotional title of the article is misleading in implying that one can get free "Helvetica" or free "Futura", which is not the case.

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Spitbath 6 Years · 98 comments

mike1 said:


For instance, BBC News did start with the font face Gill Sans, but it subtly alters the width of each letter's stroke in "BBC." It also very slightly kerns the E and W in "News" to bring the letters closer together.
Kerning is used to adjust the spacing between characters to make the word look better. Nothing to do with changing the font.

No shit Sherlock! Not exactly sure what your point is. You say, "adjust the spacing between characters," they said, "to bring the letters closer together" which is basically saying the same thing. Nobody said anything about changing fonts. 

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