Designers Matteo Bologna and Andrea Trabucco-Campos have shaped the new identity for Glyphs, the software loved and respected by both professionals and novices in the Typography world.
In Bologna's words, "It's a tool with inherent simplicity and complexity at the same time," which means that the branding identity needs to reflect those qualities. For example, the color palette was evolved to distinguish Glyphs from its competitors in a more lively, powerful, and own-able green. Not only is the new identity robust, but every small detail has been thought through with endless passion.
Since its creation in 2011, Glyphs has risen to become the software of choice for novice and professional typophiles to explore font creation and customization – utilized by global brands like Toyota, Volkswagen, Sephora and even Apple and Google. However over the years, its own branding has belied its tremendous industry influence. So, on the eve of the launch of the newest version, Glyphs 3, the app founders turned to longtime collaborator Matteo Bologna of Mucca and budding designer & creative director Andrea Trabucco-Campos to craft an identity and website fueled by the design community and its love of type.
No strangers to the app, Trabucco-Campos and Bologna not only have experience using Glyphs professionally but are passionate believers in its contributions to the design industry. “Few have contributed more to the democratization of type design than Glyphs and its founders Georg Seifert and Rainer Erich Scheichelbauer,” explains Bologna. “It’s a tool with inherent simplicity and complexity at the same time. I’ve worked with Georg and Rainer since version 1.0 as an unofficial advisor. Andrea and I have always enjoyed participating in the big community of type designers around the world. So, being able to help reshape the brand’s voice and communicate its mission was a dream come true.”
This meant not only building a new identity system but reimagining the website as a deeper tool for community learning; showcasing the app and providing a resource for type designers. Trabucco-Campos and Bologna worked with developer Chris Corby to simplify the architecture for ease of navigation, enhancing access to tutorials and resources, and showcasing type designers’ projects in a dynamic way, including using a single, unreleased Variable font by ABC Dinamo called ABC Arizona, drawn and developed entirely within Glyphs.
The team also revamped the “Learn” section of the site (previously called Tutorials), anchoring it to a more robust search function. Now, any search query will give the user a wide range of articles and tutorials, tackling everything from customization to coding. Also, because the section is likely to become an ongoing resource, they made each article bookmarkable so the users can return to find their most useful lessons.
The logo and identity are similarly meticulous in their construction, with a color palette that builds on the heritage green that distinguishes Glyphs from its competitors, evolving it to a more vibrant, dynamic and ownable green. The extended palette uses a combination of brights and darks that allow flexibility within the site and social media. They also designed and art directed abstractions of the app environment that were later animated by Abel Martins— resulting in a new form of community engagement for Glyphs.
With their work with Glyphs, Bologna and Trabucco-Campos both hope that the new site and designs spotlight the importance of type in the larger conversation about how it helps build brands. “I firmly believe that a typeface is a brand’s voice, so the power to customize that voice is key,” says Bologna. “Glyphs is a tool at the center of this conversation, so this project was the perfect fit. The work done by Rainer to evangelize the product, making it into not only software for western fonts, but a tool for scripts from all over the world, is inspiring and we’re glad we could be a part of it, bringing new energy to this exciting release.”
Matteo Bologna
Matteo is the Founder and creative director of New York-based branding studio Mucca, a singular personality and industry leader whose multidisciplinary background has helped him build one of the most respected companies in design. He is a former board member of AIGA NY and president emeritus of the Type Directors Club that, through his focused but fun-loving approach, has earned strong client partnerships across countless industries, including Sephora,, Barnes & Noble, Target, WeWork, Whole Foods, Adobe, the legendary Balthazar in NY and many others.
Andrea Trabucco-Campos
Andrea is an Italian-Colombian graphic designer and art director focused on identity, typography & interaction. Andrea brings a multicultural approach to design with a focus on concept & strategy, cultural relevance, and impact through typography. Currently he is creative director at Gretel and faculty of design at the School of Visual Arts. During his time at Pentagram and DesignStudio, Andrea was an integral member in building, designing, launching and evolving some of the world’s most well known brands. He’s partnered with large & small organizations like Mastercard, Space10 (IKEA’s Creative Lab), UPenn, Amazon, HP, Raaka, Irvington Theater and The United Nations, among others. Andrea teaches Typography at the School of Visual Arts. His work has been awarded Fast Co.’s Innovation By Design, NY Design Award, Type Directors Club, Society of Typographic Arts, Brand New’s Best Identities of 2018, 2020, and nominated for a GRAMMY.
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Project Credits
Matteo Bologna and Andrea Trabucco-Campos