From The Archives ~ Topics: experience design, typography

Typography for Mobile Phone Devices: The Design of the QUALCOMM Sans Font Family

by Jared Benson, Ken Olewiler, Nancy BrodenMay 01, 2006

Abstract
In September 2004 Punchcut worked with QUALCOMM to develop a typographic strategy with respect to QUALCOMM’s custom user interfaces within its mobile operating system and applications. The strategy’s first tangible expression was the design of a custom family of sans serif fonts to be used in current and future QUALCOMM mobile user interfaces.

The four month project entailed assessing the impact of mobile devices on digital typography, identifying key requirements that would guide the design and application of QUALCOMM’s custom interface font family, designing to meet business and customer needs within tight technical constraints, and testing to validate design decisions.

The demand for custom fonts will increase apace with the desire to deliver more content and increasingly customized experiences on mobile devices. Significant user research on font usage and the impact of typography in the mobile user experience will be required to guide informed, user-centered font design.

Keywords
Branding, Business Strategy, Experience Strategy, Font Design, Mobile Devices, Product Design, Usability Research, User-Centered Design, User Experience, User Interface Design, User Research.

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First presented at the conference on Designing for User eXperience, November 3-5, 2005, San Francisco, CA

  1. link to this comment by Joanne Moorhouse Tue Aug 14, 2007

    I wonder if Qualcomm has done this with their phones. For creative types, this could be a very popular option as a way to express ourselves in our phones. For others, this probably would not make much difference.

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