Client
Colophon
Industry
Type design
Pioneering the first web-based type customisation tool for a leading type foundry
I worked with Colophon Foundry to reimagine how users interact with and purchase typefaces online. At the heart of this project was designing an innovative type customisation tool - the first of its kind - which required extensive UX research and iteration to work through the complexity. Beyond the tool, I helped establish their digital design system and create an intuitive purchasing flow that simplified the complex world of font licensing. The result was a seamless experience that made professional type selection and customisation playful and accessible.
UX
The website had very specific requirements. Firstly displaying dozens of typefaces, their countless variants and intricate details. Colophon also had ambitious plans to create an innovative typeface customiser. This combined with complex licensing and purchase flows for both typefaces and physical products amounted to a complex challenge.
UI design
We inherited an early version of the designs from a previous agency. Combined with our UX thinking we created a design system to facilitate the varied page types and rolled out detailed designs for the whole site for desktop and mobile.
Type customiser
Rather than offering only pre-designed fonts, we created an experience where customers could fine-tune typefaces to perfectly align with their specific needs. This transformed what was traditionally an exclusive, custom service into an accessible digital experience, allowing users to explore variations and create bespoke typefaces while visualising the results in real-time.
