Custom Typefaces

What we design

• Custom typeface families for brands and institutions
• Corporate type systems across sans, serif, and mono
• Variable fonts for digital products and interfaces
• Bespoke logos, wordmarks, and lettering
• Extensions of existing typefaces — weights, italics, additional scripts
• Exclusive and semi-exclusive licences of our retail typefaces
• Type direction and technical font consulting

How a commission works

Every project starts with a conversation about what the type actually has to do — where it will be set, in which languages, next to what else. From there we sketch a small number of directions, narrow to one, and draw it out: masters, italics, spacing, and the character set the brief needs. Production, kerning, and mastering are handled with long-standing specialists, so the files you receive are tested and ready for production. Delivery includes the fonts in every format you need, the source files where agreed, and documentation for the people who will use them.

A typical family runs three to nine months depending on scope. Smaller pieces — a wordmark, a display cut, an extension of an existing family — are usually a matter of weeks. We work on a fixed project fee agreed up front, with the copyright and licence terms written to fit how you actually plan to use the type.

Why commission a typeface

A custom typeface is the one brand asset that cannot be copied off the shelf. It removes recurring licence fees across large teams, it is drawn for the exact media you publish in, and it carries a brand further than a colour or a layout grid ever does. For products it also solves problems retail type is not built for: tabular figures that line up in your tables, an interface weight tuned to your rendering, an icon set drawn on the same skeleton as the letters.

Selected work

ServiceNow Sans — custom corporate typeface, 2025

A bespoke corporate typeface for ServiceNow, art directed by Instrument. A geometric sans in text, display, and mono cuts, 813 characters, covering more than 200 languages.

Questions we get asked

What does a custom typeface cost?

It depends on the number of styles, the character set, and the licence. We quote a fixed project fee after a first conversation about scope. A single display cut or wordmark sits at the low end; a multi-style family with extended language support at the high end.

How long does it take?

Three to nine months for a full family, weeks for a wordmark or a single cut. Rush timelines are possible but change how the work is staged.

Who owns the typeface?

Usually you do. We hand over exclusive rights and, where agreed, the source files. Some clients prefer a long-term exclusive licence instead — both are fine, and it is settled before we start.

Do you work with agencies?

Yes. Much of our custom work runs alongside a branding agency or an in-house design team, either under their art direction or with us leading the type.

Do you cover non-Latin scripts?

Yes, through collaborators who are native to those scripts. Cyrillic and Greek we draw in-house.

Are you only working with clients in Berlin?

No — the studio is in Berlin, the clients are anywhere. Commissions have come from Germany, the rest of Europe, and the US, and the whole process works remotely.