atipo and Arillatype.Studio

The RTL Creative Direction joined forces to develop the RTL United font family. The RTL rebranding was developed and created by its inhouse creative team together with strong creative partners. atipo is an independent digital font foundry and brand-design studio based in Gijón. Arillatype.Studio is based in Málaga and works at the interface of creativity, craftsmanship and technology, helping brands to define their typographic voice.

Interview with atipo and Arillatype.Studio

Red Dot: As agencies, you are specialised in typography – how do you approach the task of creating a new font for a brand?
atipo and Arillatype.Studio: Fonts help brands to communicate in their own voice. We need to thoroughly understand the brand, its values, aims and personality to translate its essence into letters. We are distillers of the brand’s flavour.

When you design a new font, how much of this work is still done by hand, and how much using technology?
Fonts are software, so technology is a crucial factor. We love experimenting with new typography data formats. Technology helps our fonts communicate more effectively and powerfully. Ultimately, a font epitomises individuality, functionality and precision. We put a lot of effort into designing our styles and making our letters unmistakable.

What makes the RTL United font family so special?
RTL United is a friendly yet sharp sans-serif font that exudes positivity, humanity and boldness. RTL United Text is optimised for text and for on-screen reading. RTL United Variable is intended for dynamic text animations and provides a high level of control over the font properties for an optimal experience.