也许很少有车主会注意到大众的品牌商标将来在广告和传播渠道会以一种不同的字体形式出现。
然而这一变化却昭示着这一品牌的转折点------新的印刷字体将会对其品牌形象产生重要影响。
新的字体不只会出现在他们的宣传印刷与办公耗材上。更多地，我们将会在大众品牌汽车的仪表盘，中控台和信息系统上找到它。大众表示新字体“更加现代化，减少了几何化表达，富有动态对比“，并且”受到了大众车型独特设计的启发“。
但这是真的吗？
随着数字化设计在车身设计中越来越得到重视，品牌标识元素在车内将会得到更加充分地展现。从今以后VolkswagenHead和Volkswagen Text将会替代旧的VW HeadlineOT和VW Utopia成为大众的品牌字体。
从1997沿用至今的旧VW Headline字体很大程度上是基于Futura理念进行设计的。其历史要追溯到上世纪1927年------Futura由Paul Renner操刀，是现代主义设计的代表。在那个年代Futura代表了对工业化的推崇与致敬，而工业4.0的概念都出现的当下，各类工业与技术早已成为我们生活中稀松平常而不可或缺的部分。现在来看虽然Futura并不老气，但是过于偏向几何化（如圆度极高的“o“和一横一竖干净利落的“t“）。显然新的VolkswagenHead字体同当代美学更加契合。
同时，这也意味着 VW Utopia, 一种衬线字体，将从大众品牌的设计中消失。
从直观对比上我们也很容易可以发现，新的Volkswagen Head提供了更令人愉悦的字体样式。像是“f“和“t“的弯钩给人以技术亲和感，正与大众品牌的形象相符；字母中间部分长度的增高也使得大写与小写字母之间的比例更加协调；圈环部分(如“e“上半部的空白部分)被缩小，也使得字体样式显得更和谐。
Volkswagen Text字体的字母被雕塑得更窄、更紧凑。得益于调整后的宽度，新的字体和之前的VW Utopia相比，能节省更多空间。
总的来说新的字体易于识别，更User-Friendly。发布新字体这一举措在我看来，是改革性的，而非革命性的。它的特性使得大众集团新的字体大家族能够在媒体上得到更多应用------在印刷、网络、APP应用，甚至在乘用车本身中它都能帮助大众更好地提供更佳的360度品牌体验。
而这，对于一个在近年立志做好公关形象从而冲击全球销量冠军宝座的品牌和集团，显然是至关重要的。
Very few drivers might probably realize that the VWbrand name will appear in the advertising and communications in future in adifferent font.
But nevertheless, this change represents a turningpoint for the brand because the new typography changes the whole appearance ofthe brand significantly.
And it won’t only be featured in the brand’sstationery and brochures, it will be found on every new VW’s dashboard, centerstack, and infotainment system, as well. VW says it is “more contemporary, lessgeometric, and features dynamic contrast.” And that it is “inspired by VW’sdistinctive vehicle design.”
But is it true?
With the increasingly digital design of dashboards,brand-stamping elements are more and more integrated inside the vehicle.
From now on the present brand fonts VolkswagenHead and Volkswagen Text will take over the old VW Headline OTand VW Utopia.
The old VW Headline which is largely based onthe Futura and is since 1997 typeface of the Volkswagen brand, give place forthe VW Head. Paul Renner designed Furtura in 1927 as a praise andtribute to the ongoing industrialization. However, in our present era, whenIndustry 4.0 the idea is even brought about, industry and techonology alreadybecome an essential part of our life, Furtuna does not look old-fashioned orout-of-date. But obviously the new VWHead is more likely to correspond to a contemporary image of aesthetics,not as the geometrically shaped Futura.
That also means that the VW Utopia, a serif font, disappears from the corporate design ofthe VW brand.
In the direct comparison it becomes clear that thenew VW Head ensures a more pleasing typeface. Slants, such in the f andt, give the impression of technology affinity, of course discreet and inharmony with the VW-brand understanding. The middle length of the letters wasraised, so that the ratio between majuscules (capital letters) and minuscules(small letters) is more in chime, whereby loopwholes are closed so that thetypeface seems to appear more harmonious.
The letters of the VW Text are narrower cut.Thanks to thus generated lower run width, the new typeface is more space-savingthan the existing text font VW Utopia.
In general, the new fonts areeasier to recognize and more user-friendly. The correspondence, in my idea, isan evolutionary change, not revolutionary. The special feature consists in thefact that the new corporate typeface family find intermedially application, soin print, web, apps and even in the vehicles to provide a 360° brandexperience.
This, for a brand and corporation workingon PR and eager to become the best selling one in the world, is obviouslysignificant.
via @汽车人侃世界
