FF DIN

{{Short description|Grotesque sans-serif typeface}}

{{Infobox font

| name = DIN

| style = Sans-serif

| classifications = Grotesque

| image = 220px

| creator = Albert-Jan Pool{{cite web |title=FontFont Focus: FF Din |url=https://issuu.com/fontshopsf/docs/fffocus_din |website=Issuu |date=25 August 2008 |publisher=FontFont |accessdate=22 July 2020}}

| foundry = FontShop International

| creationdate = 1995

|based_on = DIN 1451

|sample = File:FF DIN.svg

}}

FF DIN is a sans-serif typeface in the industrial or "grotesque" style. It was designed in 1995 by Albert-Jan Pool, based on DIN-Mittelschrift and DIN-Engschrift, as defined in the German standard DIN 1451. DIN is an acronym for Deutsches Institut für Normung (German Institute of Standardisation).{{cite book |author=Jan Middendorp |title=Dutch Type |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sR9g5xPPJVQC&pg=PA188 |year=2004 |publisher=010 Publishers |isbn=978-90-6450-460-0 |pages=188–191}} It was published by FontShop in its FontFont library of typefaces.{{cite web |last1=Berry |first1=John |title=dot-font: Industrial-Standard Typefaces |url=http://creativepro.com/dot-font-industrial-standard-typefaces/ |website=Creative Pro |date=14 December 2001 |accessdate=16 July 2016}}{{cite web |last1=Peters |first1=Yyves |title=FF DIN interview with Albert-Jan Pool and Inka Strotmann |url=https://www.fontshop.com/content/ff-din-interview-with-albert-jan-and-inka-strotmann |publisher=FontShop |accessdate=2 December 2017}}

FF DIN has an unadorned appearance with high x-height and a large series of weights.{{cite book |last1=Pool |first1=Albert-Jan |authorlink1=Albert-Jan Pool |editor1-last=Spiekermann |editor1-first=Erik |editor2-last=Middendorp |editor2-first=Jan |editor1-link=Erik Spiekermann |title=Made with FontFont: type for independent minds |date=2007 |publisher=Mark Batty Publisher |location=New York |isbn=978-0977985043 |pages=66–73 |edition=1st |chapter=FF DIN, the history of a contemporary typeface}} It became very popular: {{as of|2017|09|lc=y}}, it remained the best-selling typeface on MyFonts.{{cite web |title=Best Sellers |url=http://www.myfonts.com/bestsellers/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916142513/http://www.myfonts.com/bestsellers/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 September 2017 |website=MyFonts (archived) |accessdate=2 December 2017}}

History

At a 1994 meeting of the Association Typographique Internationale trade association in San Francisco, Pool encountered Erik Spiekermann, who encouraged him to design a revival of DIN 1451 for release by FontFont, the type foundry Spiekermann had just established.

While based on the DIN 1451 standard lettering, FF DIN has additional weights and a far wider character set.{{cite web |title=Albert-Jan Pool - Können Serifen funktional sein? (German) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3tkzqaRHh0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/N3tkzqaRHh0 |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|website=YouTube | date=October 2013 |publisher=Typographische Gesellschaft München – tgm |accessdate=13 February 2017}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web |last1=Jan-Pool |first1=Albert |title=Funktionale Serifen? |url=https://www.designmadeingermany.de/#2564 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130206213826/http://www.designmadeingermany.de/2013/2564 |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 February 2013 |website=Design Made In Germany (archived) |accessdate=13 February 2017}} It includes ranging (old style) figures and several refinements that allow it to perform better as a print and screen text face. Spiekermann wrote in 2009 that "Albert’s brief was to take the regular weight and subtly make it a good typeface. He did it so well that it looks exactly like the original, but much better, especially in smaller sizes. Albert also added weights...FF DIN looks as if DIN had always had those weights because Albert didn’t let his ego interfere with the job."{{cite web |last1=Spiekermann |first1=Erik |title=Comments on Typophile thread |url=http://typophile.com/node/56644 |website=Typophile |accessdate=13 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410162310/http://typophile.com/node/56644 |archivedate=April 10, 2009}}

The family includes five font weights in two widths, normal and condensed, each with italics. The entire family includes extended characters such as arrows, fractions, euro sign, lozenge, mathematical symbols, extra accented Latin letters, and superscript numeral figures. Alternate glyphs include rounded dots, old style figures, and alternate cedilla. With time Eastern European, Greek and Cyrillic character sets have been added as well.

Distinctive characteristics

  • Square dot with extra whitespace above the lower case i
  • Rounded/extended shoulder of the lower case r
  • Straight leg of the uppercase R
  • Straight spur of the lower case a
  • The geometric apostrophe with the bottom slant
  • Lower-case L with a curl
  • Slanted form is an oblique, rather than a true italic.{{cite book |author=Paul Shaw |title=Revival Type: Digital Typefaces Inspired by the Past |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n7e0DgAAQBAJ&pg=PA199 |date=April 2017 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-21929-6 |pages=199–200}}
  • Alternate characters: single-storey italic 'a', round dots.

FF DIN Round

In summer 2010, FontFont introduced a completely new drawn round version called FF DIN Round, including five weights: light, regular, medium, bold, black.{{cite web |last1=Baird |first1=Richard |title=East Sydney Early Learning Centre |url=https://fontsinuse.com/uses/15205/east-sydney-early-learning-centre |website=Fonts in Use |date=19 December 2016 |accessdate=2 December 2017}} Assisted by Ivo Gabrowitsch of FontShop International, Albert-Jan Pool wrote a brochure named FF DIN Round – digital block letters.{{cite web |last1=Pool |first1=Albert-Jan |authorlink1=Albert-Jan Pool |title=FF DIN: Digital Block Letters |url=https://www.fontfont.com/staticcontent/downloads/FF_DIN_Round_Digital_Block_Letters.pdf?1308319796 |website=FontShop |accessdate=14 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170330135712/https://www.fontfont.com/staticcontent/downloads/FF_DIN_Round_Digital_Block_Letters.pdf?1308319796 |archive-date=30 March 2017 |url-status=dead }} It provides additional information on both the design and the history of round sans serif typefaces. FF DIN Round Pro also includes a Cyrillic character set for all weights.

Popular usage outside of Germany

  • The New York City Ballet logo uses FF DIN.{{cite web |title=New York City Ballet Font |url=https://fontmeme.com/new-york-city-ballet-font/ |website=Font Meme |accessdate=16 March 2019}}
  • Identity of the 2008 London Design Festival.{{cite web |url=http://dinfont.com/gallery/ |title=FF DIN in use :: A FontFont Focus by FontShop |publisher=Dinfont.com |accessdate=2012-10-10 |archive-date=2012-05-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503070737/http://dinfont.com/gallery/ |url-status=dead }}
  • FF DIN Condensed was formerly used as webfonts throughout the technology news site The Verge.{{cite web |url=http://fontsinuse.com/uses/5229/the-verge-logo-and-website |title=The Verge Logo and Website |publisher=Fonts In Use |date=2013-11-19}}
  • Posters for the film The Wolf of Wall Street use FF DIN.{{cite web |url=http://fontsinuse.com/uses/5705/the-wolf-of-wall-street-movie-posters |title=The Wolf of Wall Street movie posters |publisher=Fonts In Use |date=2014-01-08}}
  • The Swiss university ETH Zurich uses FF DIN Pro for posters, brochures and leaflets.{{cite web |url=https://www.text-font.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924091131/https://www.text-font.com/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=September 24, 2020 |title=Font in creative design |date=2014-09-21 }}
  • jetBlue Airways uses FF DIN Bold for its logo and corporate materials.{{cite web |title=jetBlue Font |url=https://fontmeme.com/jetblue-font/ |website=Font Meme |accessdate=12 September 2018 |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20180912081624/https://fontmeme.com/jetblue-font/ |archivedate=12 September 2018 |url-status=live |quote=The jetBlue logo is simply its logotype set in FF Din Bold in blue. }}
  • CBS Sports used FF DIN as the typeface for television chyrons and scorekeeping until Super Bowl LV in 2021, when it was replaced by TT Norms Pro.http://www.cbssportsnetwork.com/sites/logos/CBS_Sports_Network_Logo_style_guide.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}
  • International Aerobatic Club uses FF DIN as the typeface for logos and branding.{{cite web |url=https://www.iac.org/branding |title=IAC Branding |publisher=IAC |date=2015-01-19}}
  • LA Metro uses FF DIN for their buses, bus stops, and logo.{{Cite web|title=|url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Metro_Local_Line_158_Bus_stop_sign_in_Granada_Hills.JPG}}
  • The logotype for Steam uses FF DIN OT Bold.{{cite web |title=Steam Font |url=https://fontmeme.com/steam-logo-font/ |website=Font Meme |accessdate=24 March 2022}}
  • The logotype used for Half-Life (series).
  • Honkai: Star Rail and Grand Theft Auto IV use FF DIN for their in-game text.
  • Some of the FIFA game series used FF DIN Condensed for their in-game text

References

{{reflist}}

  • Blackwell, Lewis. 20th Century Type. Yale University Press: 2004. {{ISBN|0-300-10073-6}}.
  • Fiedl, Frederich, Nicholas Ott and Bernard Stein. Typography: An Encyclopedic Survey of Type Design and Techniques Through History. Black Dog & Leventhal: 1998. {{ISBN|1-57912-023-7}}.
  • Macmillan, Neil. An A–Z of Type Designers. Yale University Press: 2006. {{ISBN|0-300-11151-7}}.
  • Spiekermann, Erik; Middendorp, Jan: Made with FontFont, Book Industry Services (BIS): 2006, {{ISBN|978-90-6369-129-5}}
  • DIN 1451-2: Schriften–Serifenlose Linear-Antiqua–Verkehrsschrift. Deutsches Institut für Normung, 1986-2002.
  • [http://www.optodesign.com/aclu/gu7.html ACLU Identity Guidelines] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227020741/http://www.optodesign.com/aclu/gu7.html |date=2009-02-27 }}