Spotify has launched its own font, the company announced Wednesday. The music streaming service hopes its new typeface, “Spotify Mix,'' will help highlight Spotify's unique visual identity.
Spotify Mix is a sans-serif typeface designed in partnership with Dinamo Typefaces, a Berlin-based type design studio that has worked with major companies such as Burberry, Discord, Nike, Patreon, and Tumblr. Sans serif fonts are simpler in appearance than serif fonts and are popular with many brands, including tech giants Google and Microsoft. This font type is also known for its accessibility, as it is easy to read on small devices.
Spotify describes the new font as a “combination of sharp angles and smooth curves” that gives it a “distinct character,” Rasmus Wengerin, Spotify's head of global brand design, wrote in a blog post.
“To design this typeface, we were freed from the constraints of traditional typography and combining elements of different font styles. This approach reflects the dynamic and evolving nature of audio culture over the years. ” added Wengerin.
Spotify Mix replaces the Circular font currently used on the platform created by Swiss designer Laurenz Brunner.
Image credit: Spotify
Spotify Mix is a great example for startups looking to establish their own brand identity through the use of unique font styles. Some people think changing fonts is a small thing, while others think it can have a big impact on how a company is perceived. For example, a font like Comic Sans, which is widely considered the most hated font because it looks childish and unsophisticated, can elicit strong negative reactions from users.
Many major companies have revamped their fonts to give their brand a unique visual expression. In 2021, Twitter/X introduced its own font, Chirp, to give Twitter/X personality and improve the readability of content for users. When Instagram revamped its visuals, it introduced a new typeface. Microsoft also made headlines when it dropped Calibri as the default font for Office. And a few years ago, when Google unveiled its new design language, Material Design, it included an updated version of its system font, Roboto.
Spotify Mix is rolling out in stages starting today and will continue to roll out over the coming weeks. The company says it is currently only available for content written in “all languages that use Latin-based scripts and Vietnamese.”