Custom Brand Typeface for Your OrganizationStéphane Gabrielli
Most brands rent their voice. You can own yours.
Every day, your company communicates through thousands of words: emails, websites, packaging, signage, presentations, apps. And in most cases, all of that text is set in a typeface that belongs to someone else. A typeface your competitors can license tomorrow. A typeface whose pricing, terms, and availability are controlled by a third-party foundry you've never met.
A custom brand typeface changes that equation permanently.
What a custom typeface actually is:
It's a complete typographic system, designed from zero, that belongs exclusively to your organization. Not a modified version of an existing font. Not a "customized" open-source family with a few tweaked glyphs. Every single letterform, in every weight, in every script, is an original creation built around your brand's DNA.
Why the largest brands on earth invest in custom type:
Eliminate licensing costs forever. Enterprise font licenses can run into six figures annually, especially across multiple weights, languages, and platforms. A custom typeface is a one-time investment. No per-seat fees. No renewal negotiations. No compliance headaches. The math gets very favorable, very fast.
Lock out imitation. When your brand typeface is proprietary, no competitor can replicate your typographic identity. Not legally, not visually. Your words look like yours and only yours, across every touchpoint, in every market.
Solve technical problems commercial fonts can't. Need optical sizes optimized for both 8px mobile UI and 3-meter signage? Need perfect harmony between Latin, Arabic, and Cyrillic scripts? Need OpenType features that automate your brand's specific typographic rules? A custom typeface is engineered for your exact use cases, not for the general market.
Build a permanent brand asset. Trends in type move fast. The geometric sans-serif that felt fresh 5 years ago now looks like every fintech startup. A custom typeface doesn't follow cycles. It becomes part of your brand's architecture, appreciating in recognition value over decades.
A note on timeline:
Every typeface is a different animal. A focused wordmark with 30 glyphs and a full multi-script family with 800+ glyphs across 6 weights are not the same project, and pretending they fit the same timeline would be dishonest. Rather than posting a generic deadline, I scope every project individually after the strategic briefing. You'll receive a precise, binding timeline based on the actual complexity of your typeface: number of glyphs, weights, scripts, OpenType features, and testing requirements. Typical projects range from a few weeks to several months. No surprises, no moving targets.
My process:
Strategic analysis — I study your brand positioning, communication channels, technical constraints, and multilingual requirements. Typography is infrastructure; the brief must be as rigorous as the design.
Design exploration — I develop core letterforms that capture your brand's personality. Multiple directions, each with distinct structural logic, presented with full rationale.
System development — The chosen direction is expanded into a complete family: multiple weights, full character sets, language support, and OpenType features tailored to your workflows.
Technical optimization — Hinting, screen rendering, variable font axes, web performance: every technical layer is tuned for your specific platforms.
Testing & implementation support — Real-world testing across your actual touchpoints, followed by integration guidance and team training.
Final delivery includes: complete font files (OTF, TTF, WOFF/WOFF2), type specimen, usage guidelines, technical documentation, source files, and full intellectual property transfer.
I've built custom typeface systems for Peugeot, Roland Garros, Vinci, Alstom, Rhodia, Darty, and Kwixo. Every glyph, from scratch. Every time.
FAQs
Contact for pricing
Duration1 week
Tags
Brand Identity
Branding
Typographer
Custom Fonts
Type Design
Service provided by
Stéphane Gabrielli Lyon, France
Custom Brand Typeface for Your OrganizationStéphane Gabrielli
Contact for pricing
Duration1 week
Tags
Brand Identity
Branding
Typographer
Custom Fonts
Type Design
Most brands rent their voice. You can own yours.
Every day, your company communicates through thousands of words: emails, websites, packaging, signage, presentations, apps. And in most cases, all of that text is set in a typeface that belongs to someone else. A typeface your competitors can license tomorrow. A typeface whose pricing, terms, and availability are controlled by a third-party foundry you've never met.
A custom brand typeface changes that equation permanently.
What a custom typeface actually is:
It's a complete typographic system, designed from zero, that belongs exclusively to your organization. Not a modified version of an existing font. Not a "customized" open-source family with a few tweaked glyphs. Every single letterform, in every weight, in every script, is an original creation built around your brand's DNA.
Why the largest brands on earth invest in custom type:
Eliminate licensing costs forever. Enterprise font licenses can run into six figures annually, especially across multiple weights, languages, and platforms. A custom typeface is a one-time investment. No per-seat fees. No renewal negotiations. No compliance headaches. The math gets very favorable, very fast.
Lock out imitation. When your brand typeface is proprietary, no competitor can replicate your typographic identity. Not legally, not visually. Your words look like yours and only yours, across every touchpoint, in every market.
Solve technical problems commercial fonts can't. Need optical sizes optimized for both 8px mobile UI and 3-meter signage? Need perfect harmony between Latin, Arabic, and Cyrillic scripts? Need OpenType features that automate your brand's specific typographic rules? A custom typeface is engineered for your exact use cases, not for the general market.
Build a permanent brand asset. Trends in type move fast. The geometric sans-serif that felt fresh 5 years ago now looks like every fintech startup. A custom typeface doesn't follow cycles. It becomes part of your brand's architecture, appreciating in recognition value over decades.
A note on timeline:
Every typeface is a different animal. A focused wordmark with 30 glyphs and a full multi-script family with 800+ glyphs across 6 weights are not the same project, and pretending they fit the same timeline would be dishonest. Rather than posting a generic deadline, I scope every project individually after the strategic briefing. You'll receive a precise, binding timeline based on the actual complexity of your typeface: number of glyphs, weights, scripts, OpenType features, and testing requirements. Typical projects range from a few weeks to several months. No surprises, no moving targets.
My process:
Strategic analysis — I study your brand positioning, communication channels, technical constraints, and multilingual requirements. Typography is infrastructure; the brief must be as rigorous as the design.
Design exploration — I develop core letterforms that capture your brand's personality. Multiple directions, each with distinct structural logic, presented with full rationale.
System development — The chosen direction is expanded into a complete family: multiple weights, full character sets, language support, and OpenType features tailored to your workflows.
Technical optimization — Hinting, screen rendering, variable font axes, web performance: every technical layer is tuned for your specific platforms.
Testing & implementation support — Real-world testing across your actual touchpoints, followed by integration guidance and team training.
Final delivery includes: complete font files (OTF, TTF, WOFF/WOFF2), type specimen, usage guidelines, technical documentation, source files, and full intellectual property transfer.
I've built custom typeface systems for Peugeot, Roland Garros, Vinci, Alstom, Rhodia, Darty, and Kwixo. Every glyph, from scratch. Every time.
FAQs
Contact for pricing