VPRO Thonik Bold

In August 2010 Dutch broadcasting corporation VPRO launched their new identity which was designed by Amsterdam-based agency Thonik. Based on the four letters that the studio had designed for the new logo a custom typeface was designed by Paul van der Laan. The typeface family was eventually executed in two weights and includes special ligatures (such as the Dutch ‘ij’) and alternative shapes.

The typeface belongs to the category of constructed sans-serifs, a group where Futura (1927) and Avant Garde (1970) are its most prominent members of. In contrast to the two aforementioned typefaces the VPRO typeface is less rigid (the o is not a perfect circle for example) and therefore has a slightly more humane appearance. The very generous x-height and the playful details have been designed specifically to assure that this design works best when used in big sizes.

Client: VPRO, Hilversum
Art direction: Thonik, Amsterdam