How do brands use typography04

How Do Brands Use Typography

So, how do brands use typography to their advantage? Fortunately, some brands have published how they use typography as well as their rules involving placement, line weight, and formation. I am going to use Uber as an example and break down how they use typography in their branding and marketing strategies.

Uber Move

Uber has created a custom typeface called “Uber Move,” complete with light, medium, and bold variations. According to their webpage, this font “works to maintain consistency, create clarity, and provide equity to the brand as a global leader in multi-modal transportation.” With Uber being a new mode of transportation, simplifying and replacing the cab/taxi business, and being a multinational company, they want their use of typography to reflect that.

Pairings

Uber has specific pairings that they use when working with headers and subheaders. The pairs are displayed as two options to choose from, a “Medium” header with a “Light” subheader or a “Bold” header with a “Regular” subheader. Reading from the page, “This allows for clarity, consistency, and a strong hierarchy for all communications. Medium weight should be paired with Light weight, and Bold weight should be paired with Regular weight.”

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Hierarchy

Reading from the page, “It is important to organize typography in a hierarchical system according to relative importance or inclusiveness through scale and function depending on communication.” Uber is showing its various implementations of hierarchy as it pertains to specific needs. Starting from the box to the left, it shows an example of hierarchy using their typeface to raise awareness from its user. Keeping the most important information at the top, grabbing the user’s attention, then following up with details underneath the header.

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The second box in the center shows an example of hierarchy when asking the user to consider doing something or perform an action. The information is kept center followed by a hyperlink at the bottom, using a smaller font size.

The third box to the right shows an example or hierarchy when requesting an action from the user. The request is placed in the center with no other unnecessary information.

The common denominator with these examples is that the Uber logo is somewhere on the screen. Its placement seems to vary, as shown in the second example, to keep the composition balanced.

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Imagery

Reading from the page again, “Typography should be black on light imagery and white on dark imagery. When aligned with the logo, typography and logo should be the same color.” It makes sense… Keep the type visible so it is easy to read. Also keeping the logo color consistent with the top text shows attention to detail.w

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Guidance

Uber has some guidelines “what not to do’s” that they refer to keep their typography on brand.

1. Do not use colored typography (black or white only). Very on-brand. Given the way Uber wants the public to perceive them, using any color not black or white in their typography would not reflect their identity.

2. Do not use all caps. Their logo is not even in the same case. The service brands itself as being modern and sophisticated using the combination of upper and lower case letters. Using all caps not only signifies loudness and urgency, but it takes away from what Uber wants its company to be seen.

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3. Do not adjust kerning or tracking. I would assume that Uber designed its typeface to not need additionals adjustments such as kerning or tracking. Its text is meant to emulate the logo text. Additional kerning or tracking breaks the consistency.

4. Do not make different levels of hierarchy the same weight. This would make it difficult to distinguish the levels of information.

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5. Do not make different levels of hierarchy in the same size. Again, this would make it difficult to distinguish the levels of information.

6. Do not separate chunks of text. Uber tends to have their chunks of text aligned to the left. This keeps things clean. Compared to the example, this makes the information seem broken apart and is not on-brand for Uber.

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