The Logos of Web 2.0
There is no official standard for what makes something “Web 2.0”, but there certainly are a few tell-tale signs. These new sites usually feature modern web technologies like Ajax and often have something to do with building online communities. But even more characteristic among these brands is their appearance. Web 2.0 sites nearly always feel open and friendly and often use small chunks of large type. The colors are bright and cheery — lots of blue, orange, and what we jokingly call the Official Color of Web 2.0: lime green.
You can see some of these striking commonalities in Ludwig Gatzke’s compilation of nearly 400 Web 2.0 logos. Read on for a breakdown of the fonts used in a few of our favorite brands.
The Softies
A clear trend in new identities is the use of soft, rounded sans serifs dominated by VAG Rounded (AKA Rundschrift), but also including Helvetica Rounded, Arial Rounded, Bryant, and FF Cocon. All of these lend a modern friendliness to what might otherwise be a cold trademark.
Oct. 2008 Update — New and underused fonts in this category: Foco, Tondo, FF Netto, Estilo Text, and FF Unit Rounded.
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ClipShack — video sharing Font: VAG Rounded and Light obliqued |
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Zimbra — collaborative calendar Font: VAG Rounded Light |
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Wayfaring — custom Google Maps Font: VAG Rounded (fattened with added stroke) |
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Kajeet — mobile phone service Font: VAG Rounded (custom ‘j’) |
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Zopa — lending exchange Font: similar to Frankfurter Medium or Bryant Bold Alt |
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Pando — file sharing Font: similar to Bryant Medium Alt |
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MySpace — social networking Font: Arial Rounded Bold and Bell Gothic Black |
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TracksLife — personal database Font: Arial Rounded Bold |
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Eventful — collaborative calendar Font: Arial Rounded Bold (slightly smooshed) |
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Spongecell — collaborative calendar Font: Arial Rounded Extra Bold |
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Skype — internet telephony Font: Helvetica Rounded Bold |
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ShoZu — photo sharing Font: FF Cocon Bold |
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Tabblo and Tabblog — photo sharing Font: FF Cocon Bold |
The Futurists
Some sites are reflecting the technological breakthroughs of Web 2.0 with a look that says “tomorrow’s techno”. Pixel faces, hard edges, and ultra simplified forms are not as common as the cozy shapes from the group above, but they represent a good portion of the latest internet startups.
Oct. 2008 Update — New and underused fonts in this category: FS Sinclair, FS Alvar, FF Cube, FF Netto, Sys, Notes Style, Purista, Stratum, Neutraliser, ITC Tetra, Stainless, Atrament
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Last.fm — musical social network Font: ITC Ronda (customized) Alternate: Avernus |
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Photobucket — photo hosting Font: Digital Sans Medium |
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Plazes — geographical networking Font: Base 9 Regular SC |
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NewsGator — RSS aggregator Font: ITC Bauhaus Medium |
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ReminderFeed — reminders via RSS Font: FF Dot Matrix Two Regular |
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Technorati — weblog search tool Font: Neo Sans Medium |
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TagWorld — social networking Font: Handel Gothic Bold |
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Shoutwire — news sharing Font: Agency Bold |
The Classics
Safe standbys like Trade and News Gothic, Frutiger, Avenir, Interstate, FF Meta, FF DIN, and the always ubiquitous Helvetica continue to see use in new web logos.
Oct. 2008 Update — Using uncommon alternatives to classic typefaces can ensure a logo is unique. Here are a few new or underused alts to the standards:
- Trade Gothic → Spiegel, Benton Sans, Brown Gothic
- Frutiger → Locator, FF Transit, Vialog
- Futura → FF Super Grotesk, Neuzeit Grotesk, Nobel
- FF DIN → Malmö Sans, Magion, Sophisto, Antagometrica, FF Good
- Helvetica → see Alternatives to Helvetica
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Xanga — weblog community Font: Trade Gothic No. 2 Bold and Light |
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FeedBurner — RSS optimization and tracking Font: Trade Gothic Bold |
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Newsvine — news sharing Font: FF Meta Bold and Book |
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StandPoint — belief sharing Font: FF DIN Medium |
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DropSend — file sharing Font: Frutiger Bold |
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Flickr — photo sharing Font: Frutiger Black |
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PureVolume — music promotion Font: Avenir Book and Medium |
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Shutterfly — photo service Font: Avenir Heavy (customized) |
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9rules — web design network Font: Helvetica Bold |
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PODZINGER — podcast search Font: Interstate Black |
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Campfire — group chat Font: Interstate Regular |
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YouTube — video sharing Font: Alternate Gothic No. Two |
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Bloglines — news aggregator Font: ITC Officina Bold |
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Weblogs, Inc. — blog network Font: Syntax Bold |
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Wikipedia — collaborative reference Font: Hoefler Text |
New Classics
Just as there will always be trends, there will also be those designers who break from them. The following logotypes eschew the popular styles mentioned above and use new typefaces that have the potential to become timeless classics. The typeface is then used throughout the site in headers and graphics. It’s a great way to reinforce a brand and set it apart:
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Socialtext — enterprise wiki Font: Lisboa Sans |
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Facebook — social networking Font: Klavika (customized) Also: cards with Vista Sans |
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Joyent — small business server Font: Proxima Nova (alt ‘a’) Not a logo, but we love Joyent’s use of Proxima — a new face that feels familiar but has its own character. |
Update - March 22, 2006: Today’s email newsletter suggests some alternatives to the typefaces used in these trends. If you’re not subscribed to FontShop News, you’re missing out on that good stuff, plus the monthly calendar and free font. Register for a FontShop.com account or check your subscription settings to get on board.
See also:
- Test the fonts in this list at FontShop.com
- An annotated list of all the companies represented in Gatzke’s compilation.
- Ben Hunt sums up “current web style”.
- Christopher Fahey rounds up a list of other sites that categorize design style.
- Web2Logo catalogs the sites and hosts forum discussions for each.
56 Comments:
How about Coghead.com? I think that would fit in the 2.0 family.
Digg’s logo is most likely custom lettering, but there are a few similar typefaces, including ITC Tetra, Shimano Square, Neeskens, and Poca.
I’d put Coghead in the Classics category since it is set in Myriad, a modern version of the classic Frutiger.
This article is still one of our most popular despite its age, so I just updated each category with some new and underused fonts that offer an alternative to the stuff that may have seen too much play on the web.
It is nice to see the web 2.0 look spread to Television… not really logo work, but I’ve seen some nice font work with NBC promos. I think they use Reykjavik.
I haven’t seen the newer promos you may be referencing, but Klavika has been NBC’s house typeface for the last couple of years.
great collection of logos. also great resources to browse useful online resources for sharing and communicating online. thanks for pointing out what fonts were used.
Hey mate can you add to this list, the font of twitter.com?
I really need it!
Thanks :)
I doubt the Twitter logo is a font; I’m pretty sure it is custom designed. You might like Softmachine though.
Hello
As a fresh fontfeed.com user i just wanted to say hi to everyone else who uses this bbs :-)
great post! thanks for the awesome information….
May be you should consider updating this post with the new “Pepsi” identity. i guess Pepsi will fit in The Futurists category
Excellent post! very useful. Thanx!
Brilliant! thanks for doing this font research, it will save me a lot of time. Well done Stephen
Interesting. BUT, why do most logos look like they are made for an application of apple’s i-phone? To me there are clear similarities to the increasing wash of today’s modern webpages. Most look like an internet blogg, but not like a unique representations of the personality that it is supposed to be for.
Common designers, say your message clear and simple, but GET CREATIVE!
@ardh77: Well, it is quite reassuring that very little of that bevelled, highlighted, shadowed nonsense was seen amongst the Wolda winners.
@ Jennifer: The logo for The Medicine Shoppe is set in Bookman Swash (the original). There’s also ITC Bookman Swash, the updated design.
And don’t forget the OpenType version of ITC Bookman with the swashes built-in.
What a nice information you have here.
Stephen, I always wonder what font used for “POMERLEAU” - http://www.pomerleau.ca
Thanks.
Hmm, I’m not certain. It’s possible they could have modified the wonderful Armchair Modern.
Thanks for taking the time to gather these samples and identify the fonts.
Great … some more …. Web 2.0 … “things” …
When do we get to see Art 2.0 ?
Bad things will stay bad and not get better with some shiny polish @ stupid head-offs (plate shining for the win!).
People believing in such nonsense live in < 1000 bc.
Cool collection of fonts. We used some similar concepts in developing the logo for Answerly.com
Great difinitive list of web 2.0 logo designs. I’m looking for some inspiration for a new logo I need to design. This compilation should help, so thanks for a great post!
I think it’s time I rounded my text off, and found this article looking for some css codes.
Does anyone know which font styles are compatible with the current browsers out there?
loved ff cocon, the one for ShoZu, just bought it for my website too, great post!
i really loved the collection..but still there are more best logos which i saw in some other threads…
these creatives are really masterpieces.
i really loved the collection..but still there are more best logos which i saw in some other threads…
Well, you have to realise – although it was updated last year – this collection was assembled three years ago. It’s inevitable that newer “masterpieces” as you call them are not included in this list.
Great list – really got me thinking harshly about logos.
Then I got to the bottom here and noticed that there are two FontShop logos… which are completely different! Then compare them with the logo on http://fontshop.com/
Come on FONT Shop!
its really great to have such kind of information…
it is just awesome…
(…) noticed that there are two FontShop logos… which are completely different!
That’s the whole point of the FontShop graphic identity – the typefaces in the logo change continuously. The only constant is the yellow and black (and white).
I found these logos and typeface information very interesting.. I am a new lover to Typography, and the more I learn about it the more interested I become.. I find it very funny that these new modern fonts have been given names such as ‘softies’, ‘futurists’ and so on.. this is a great compilation..
KUDOS!
Amazing trip, it reminds me of the Typography Lectures by one of my favorite teacher back in school.
the compilation and the feedback ….
is there any visual time line available on web that depicts the transition of branding marks into the complex shapes of todays modern logo designs?
Digg’s logo is most likely custom lettering, but there are a few similar typefaces, including ITC Tetra, Shimano Square, Neeskens, and Poca.
I’d put Coghead in the Classics category since it is set in Myriad, a modern version of the classic Frutiger.
great post! thanks for the awesome information….
May be you should consider updating this post with the new “Pepsi” identity. i guess Pepsi will fit in The Futurists category
“Does anyone know which font styles are compatible with the current browsers out there?”
@TorchesUK as a web designer I use this handy page to see what I can get away with, cross browser/OS: http://www.apaddedcell.com/web-fonts
though there will need to be an update for Macs and Windows7. But it’s helped me find *nix fonts that compliment Verdana’s large x-height.
Since most of the wonderful fonts listed above are waaaay more than I can ever afford, I must make mine by hand in Gimp (images of company names I mean).
Thanks for the very nice selection of fonts. I will start to design my own logos soon
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Excellent selection. What about digg http://www.digg.com?