Ford Racing Display
A custom brand typeface developed for Ford Racing as part of a global rebrand led by Interbrand.
Building on initial character concepts rooted in Ford’s existing visual language and developed further by Interbrand, Otherwhere translated these foundations into a fully functional typeface, refining proportions, standardizing spacing and kerning, and developing additional characters to complete a cohesive system.
Designed to express both dynamism and heritage, the typeface performs across a wide range of brand touchpoints, from digital interfaces to global campaign assets. The project required balancing a bold mechanical structure with precise typographic detail, extending the design to an international character set, and ensuring consistent performance across platforms while maintaining a distinctive brand voice.
Defining a Rugged Typographic Voice
The typeface draws from a familiar visual language found across performance and utility vehicles, with wide, blocky letterforms and a strong, mechanical presence. Angled cuts and chamfered corners give the design a sense of motion and durability, echoing the functional aesthetic of automotive engineering.
The forms were refined to bring greater consistency and control, introducing subtle rounding at key junctions to soften transitions and improve rhythm, while proportions and spacing were carefully adjusted to create a more balanced and cohesive system.
The result is a typeface that feels recognisably rugged and high-performance, while offering a considered and distinctive expression suitable for a global brand.
Building a Typeface for a Global Brand System
Developing a custom typeface for a global brand goes beyond defining individual letterforms. The system needs to perform consistently across teams, platforms, and markets, often in environments far removed from the original design process.
Ford Racing Display was built with this in mind. Spacing, proportions, and character sets were carefully developed to ensure reliable use across a wide range of applications, from high-impact campaign graphics to more functional digital contexts.
The typeface needed to be robust enough to maintain its character under different conditions, while remaining flexible for use by multiple teams working across the brand. This balance between expression and usability is what allows a custom typeface to move from a design asset to a fully embedded part of a brand system.
Interested in a custom typeface for your brand?
Custom Typeface Design
Designed to perform across global brand systems, from concept through to implementation.
Featured By:
Other Projects
