Shortly after its debut, the world started seeing Futura in graphs, charts, maps, comic strips, and print advertising. But it was too late for the Nazis to capitalize on Futura’s popularity - it already had taken on a life of its own. They falsely claimed that Blackletter had Jewish roots and banned it, making a clear statement that Roman style typography was to be the new norm in Germany. In 1941, the Nazi party finally surrendered to popular opinion (and legibility concerns) and switched gears dramatically. The Nazi party clung to the antiquated Blackletter type while the rest of Europe (including occupied territories) and the Allied Forces opted for cleaner, more readable typefaces. Futura’s clean, elegant anatomy resulted in the typeface being cited by the Nazis as an example of “degenerate art.”Įxample of Blackletter Type // Photo by Taylor Gregory on Unsplash In the beginning of the Nazi party’s rise to power, they staunchly rejected the more modern, Roman typefaces in favor of traditional Blackletter type. Renner himself was outspoken about his disapproval of the Nazi party, eventually leading to his arrest, dismissal, and temporary relocation to Switzerland. While Futura was received well on the global stage, it was met with resistance in its native country. While the two schools of thought definitely influenced one another, they remained distinct. Many people might view Futura’s clean lines and instinctively label the typeface as Bauhaus design, but Renner himself was more closely associated with the New Typography Movement, which slightly predated Bauhaus. It was marketed as the “font of our time,” and also as the “font of the future.” It was an immediate commercial success. Futura was released by The Bauer Type Foundry in 1927. German type designer Paul Renner began work on the Futura typeface in 1924 as a contribution to the New Frankfurt project (an affordable housing project which drew support and design contribution from many esteemed architects). And we’ll also tackle the question faced by many well-established, classic typefaces - what does the future hold for Futura? We’ll cover Futura’s history, unique font anatomy, and its use in logos and branding. We’re dedicating this article to one of the most common staples of our customers’ font libraries a typeface that’s graced countless logos a formidable font that looks just as modern today as it did when it was first released in 1927 the one and only Futura. There are certain fonts that designers reach for time after time, like the endless variations of Helvetica, DIN, and of course, the Futura typeface. But even the most eclectic font collection isn’t complete without a couple hits.
Designers’ font collections may be stuffed with statement fonts - ranging from retro to futuristic, grungy to alarmingly elegant, baroque to Bauhaus-inspired.