A custom typeface isn't automatically a personality

The idea of having a typeface nobody else can use is attractive. Every letter becomes part of the brand, designed to work across its communications and, ideally, become recognisable without much else around it.

It's also an attractive line in a branding presentation. A custom typeface sounds considered, ambitious and rather expensive. Often it is all three.

But exclusivity and personality aren't the same thing.

A typeface can be beautifully drawn, technically impressive and almost impossible to distinguish from dozens of other contemporary sans serifs. That doesn't make it a bad typeface. It does raise questions about what the commission was meant to achieve.

Monotype's guide to choosing between custom, modified and existing typefaces outlines the benefits of each approach. A bespoke design offers greater control and can address specific requirements. An existing typeface might already do the job very well.

Consider Catalyst Sans, developed by Reset Type Studio with Pentagram for General Catalyst. Its different styles give the identity flexibility, while supporting more than 160 Latin-based languages. It has a clear visual character and accommodates the practical demands of a global organisation.

A custom typeface makes sense when it brings something that existing options can't. But even then, it doesn't carry the entire identity.

The words matter. The scale matters. So do spacing, composition and imagery. A familiar typeface used with conviction can have considerably more personality than a bespoke one used without much imagination.

Try taking the logo away from a brand and seeing what's left. Typography can be one of its most recognisable assets, but people need repeated exposure to associate those letterforms with a particular business.

There's also a tendency to pursue neutrality in the name of creating something timeless. Sometimes we end up with identities carefully designed to offend nobody, while giving people very little to remember.

A great typeface requires immense skill, and commissioning one can be an excellent investment.

I'd just want to know what it gives the brand that an existing typeface couldn't.

Personality doesn't come from owning the letters. It comes from what you do with them.