Apple selected appropriate typography on five distinct occasions (yet made a typographic error once)
Reshaping the Typographical Landscape: Apple's Font Evolution Revealed
From its iconic products to its distinctive branding, Apple has always been a champion of sleek, minimalistic design. But what about its typography? What font does Apple use to maintain its brand identity? From bold beginnings to contemporary innovations, explore Apple's font journey through key moments in its type history.
A montage of moments in Apple typography
This isn't an exhaustive account, but here are six pivotal points in the evolution of Apple's fonts, tracing its path from pre-Macintosh branding to the present-day brand and system typeface.
01. Motter Tektura: A retro-futuristic vision
It may seem unusual now, but in the early days, Apple used readily available, off-the-shelf type options for much of its branding, even its logo. Before the 1984 launch of the first Macintosh, the Apple logotype and product labels, like the popular Apple II, used a quirky sans-serif called Motter Tektura.
Designed by Othmar Motter in Austria in 1975, this lesser-known font enjoyed some popularity in the late 70s, chronicled by appearances in brands like Reebok and Trapper Keeper. Apple subtly modified Motter Tektura, including adjusting the shape of the 'a' to fit within the Apple logo's bitemark, imbuing the design with a retrofuturistic charm, albeit in a slightly cartoonish fashion.
02. Classy Apple Garamond: A touch of elegance
With the unveiling of the Macintosh in 1984, Apple veered towards something more refined: a customized version of a classical 17th-century serif. For 18 years, Apple Garamond graced the brand's marketing and advertising campaigns – albeit with a brief interlude with Gill Sans – oozing class, sophistication, and scholarly charm.
This conventionally wise typeface's formal appearance contrasted the exuberant colors of the rainbow Apple logo, signifying a more sophisticated vision of technology.
03. Modernizing Myriad: Transitioning into the digital age
For a sleeker, more modern look to harmonize with its new device, the iPod, Apple switched to Myriad in 2002. Adobe's creation got a facelift courtesy of Galápagos Design Group, though the alterations were minimal compared to the standard version. The typeface was streamlined, accessible, and versatile, serving a wide range of applications admirably, even if it wasn't exactly groundbreaking.
04. Pioneering Chicago: Early advances in digital typography
Let's delve into Apple's system font history, as Apple originated a consistent approach to fonts on its early computers. Oftentimes, Apple's pioneering attempts are attributed to Steve Jobs' personal interest in typography and a calligraphy class he took at Reed College in 1972. Susan Kare, Apple's in-house graphic designer who also crafted the Mac icons, designed Chicago – a revolutionary, custom system font.
Chicago was a harbinger of the shift towards proportionally spaced fonts, which allowed letters to adjust their size according to the available space, a significant contrast to fixed-width monospace fonts. Chicago provided the foundation for early digital typography objectives, focusing on legibility and accessible design. This font would eventually be supplanted by Charcoal in 1997 and Lucida Grande in 2000, but the iPod later utilized a variation of Chicago.
05. The Helvetica controversy: Design debacles and revisions
After popularizing the use of custom system fonts, Apple adopted third-party fonts during the 2000s, most notably Helvetica for the iPhone, followed by Helvetica Neue Light for iOS 7 in 2013. However, critics panned the decision for selecting a font deemed too thin for small, low-resolution mobile screens, which led to complaints regarding poor legibility.
In an attempt to rectify the issue, Apple switched to the slightly thicker Helvetica Neue, which matched the typeface used for MAC OS X Yosemite, creating consistency across its system fonts. Yet, the criticisms persisted, and, just two years later, in 2015, Apple nixed Helvetica.
06. San Francisco: Laser-sharp precision and adaptability
The 2013 controversy surrounding Helvetica Neue forced Apple to reevaluate its typographical choices, leading to the birth of its most recent font endeavor, San Francisco. Designed entirely in-house, San Francisco bridges the divide between a brand font for marketing and a system font for UI design.
Debuted in 2015, San Francisco is characterized by its bolder, friendlier appearance, optimized for various contexts, on Apple Watch, for example, and designed to streamline legibility across different devices and platforms. In recent updates, Apple has customized San Francisco to fluidly adapt to various situations, as illustrated by the new Liquid Glass design[3].
Our Apple fonts history ends on a high note. A decade on, and San Francisco continues to perform well, consolidating Apple's brand identity across marketing materials and user interfaces, and it should smoothen the transaction when the rumored foldable iPhone arrives.
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[1] "Apple Inc. Logo Evolution Timeline." Website article on Dribbble, 29 September 2020.[2] Mankoff, Ken. "We Asked One Hundred People to Prove They're Not Bots, and Almost None Could." Fast Company, 22 January 2021.[3] "Customizing San Francisco for the Mac (WWDC 2021)." Video on Apple Developer, 7 June 2021.
- In the early days of Apple, before the launch of the first Macintosh, Motter Tektura, a quirky sans-serif designed by Othmar Motter, was used for the Apple logotype and product labels, including the popular Apple II.
- Apple Garamond, a customized version of a 17th-century serif, graced Apple's marketing and advertising campaigns for 18 years, offering a touch of class and sophistication.
- In 2002, Apple switched to Myriad for a sleeker, more modern look, particularly for the iPod. Despite being minimalist, it wasn't exactly groundbreaking.
- Pioneering Chicago, a custom system font designed by Susan Kare, marked a significant shift towards proportionally spaced fonts in digital typography, focusing on legibility and accessible design.
- Critics harshly criticized the selection of Helvetica for the iPhone and Helvetica Neue Light for iOS 7, claiming they were too thin for small, low-resolution mobile screens.
- Apple responded by switching to Helvetica Neue, which was slightly thicker and matched the typeface used for MAC OS X Yosemite, creating consistency across its system fonts.
- The controversy surrounding Helvetica led to the creation of San Francisco, a font designed entirely in-house and optimized for various contexts, as seen on Apple Watch.
- San Francisco, introduced in 2015, consolidates Apple's brand identity across marketing materials and user interfaces, preparing for the rumored foldable iPhone.
- For creative design inspiration, subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive tips on font design and a comprehensive guide to understanding typography.
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