Type Branding
Dedicated Fonts? Designated Fonts?
Many companies and brands rely on fonts to deliver a unified visual experience. Fonts appear everywhere—from internal documents to event announcements. Because fonts are essential across every brand touchpoint, they play a critical role in shaping brand identity. And for that reason, the fonts a brand chooses must be applied thoughtfully and intentionally. Here is a brief explanation of two terms that are often confused: dedicated fonts and designated fonts.
Dedicated fonts are typefaces created specifically for a brand. They embed the brand’s unique character directly into text, allowing people to recognize the brand even without a CI or BI. These fonts support differentiation from competitors and convey a consistent visual identity through typography. However, developing a dedicated font requires significant time and cost, which means not every brand can afford to create one. In these cases, brands often choose a designated font instead.
A designated font is not custom-built for a single brand. Instead, it refers to selecting an existing typeface and applying it consistently across all brand assets. While not exclusive, designated fonts still help maintain coherence across diverse media.
The 『Sandoll Gothic Neo』 Series
Within the widely trusted and frequently adopted 『Sandoll Gothic Neo』 series, 「Sandoll Gothic Neo1」 was used as a system font for global companies such as Apple, LG, and Pantech even before its official release. Despite launching in 2011, it has continued to evolve—most notably through Unicode* expansion and professional hinting**—making it one of Sandoll’s most refined typefaces.
To expand options for designated fonts, Sandoll later developed 「Sandoll Gothic Neo2」 and 「Sandoll Gothic Neo3」. With more choices available, designers naturally became more selective when choosing which font best reflects their brand image. To help guide that choice, let’s examine the impression conveyed by each typeface in the 『Sandoll Gothic Neo』 series.
*Unicode: The international standard for character encoding. 『Sandoll Gothic Neo』 Unicode (Link) expands the original 2,350 characters to 11,172 by adding 8,822 more.
** Hinting: A technique that aligns a typeface’s vector outlines to pixel grids, allowing characters to appear crisp even at small sizes or low screen resolutions.
How Typefaces Express Emotion
The closer a character’s shape is to a square proportion, the less rhythmic the text feels. Conversely, as characters move away from a square structure, rhythm increases. Square-shaped forms therefore appear solid and dependable, whereas non-square forms feel lively and cheerful.
Applying this to the 『Sandoll Gothic Neo』 series, Neo1 → Neo3 shows a gradual shift toward less rigid, more dynamic forms. As the number increases, the tone becomes brighter and more energetic. A brand aiming for a friendly, spirited personality might choose 「Sandoll Gothic Neo3」. For a trustworthy and stable impression, Neo1, with its squarer forms, is a better fit. If your brand seeks a dependable yet approachable presence, Neo2 can serve perfectly as a designated font.
A typeface’s impression is also shaped by its baseline and x-height proportions. Fonts like Neo1, with lower letter centers, feel grounded and robust. In contrast, fonts like Neo3, with higher letter centers, convey a lighter and more buoyant tone.
Additionally, inter-letter spacing and overall gray value influence a font’s perceived weight. Depending on how each glyph is constructed, blocks of text can read as either firm and dense or airy and light.
A New Look for NICE Group: 「Sandoll Gothic Neo2」
NICE Holdings is Korea’s leading financial infrastructure company, spanning credit evaluation, credit information, asset management, and other areas foundational to the domestic capital market. Recently, NICE Holdings completely redesigned its CI system, selecting 「Sandoll Gothic Neo2」 as the designated font across all group affiliates. Compared with Neo3, Neo2 produces a more stable text flow, and compared with Neo1, it features more pronounced curvature. As a result, Neo2 strikes a balance: it communicates reliability while also projecting a sense of modernity and creativity. Below are examples of the updated CI system across NICE Group affiliates, clearly expressing both trust and innovation.
Image source: http://named-labs.com
A Tool for Expressing “Brand-ness”
Ideally, designers would oversee every brand touchpoint—but in reality, that’s rarely possible. This is why designated fonts become essential. When multiple people handle brand materials—or when non-designers produce documents—typography becomes a key mechanism for maintaining visual coherence. For example, contracts, invoices, and legal documents are typically handled by finance, legal, or sales teams—not by designers. In these cases, a designated font ensures that brand identity remains consistent across all types of documents.
All Sandoll fonts are available for licensing. They can be embedded as system fonts in games or applications, or implemented as web fonts on websites. If you’re curious about how to make the most of designated fonts, feel free to send us an inquiry (Link). We’ll not only guide you through the process but also recommend the typeface that best matches your brand. This article continues in Part 2, where we explore practical ways to apply designated fonts. See you soon!
References
Lee Yongje (2017). Impression of Hangul Typefaces.
Lee Yongje (2022). Glossary of Typographic Terms.
Type Branding
Dedicated Fonts? Designated Fonts?
Many companies and brands rely on fonts to deliver a unified visual experience. Fonts appear everywhere—from internal documents to event announcements. Because fonts are essential across every brand touchpoint, they play a critical role in shaping brand identity. And for that reason, the fonts a brand chooses must be applied thoughtfully and intentionally. Here is a brief explanation of two terms that are often confused: dedicated fonts and designated fonts.
Dedicated fonts are typefaces created specifically for a brand. They embed the brand’s unique character directly into text, allowing people to recognize the brand even without a CI or BI. These fonts support differentiation from competitors and convey a consistent visual identity through typography. However, developing a dedicated font requires significant time and cost, which means not every brand can afford to create one. In these cases, brands often choose a designated font instead.
A designated font is not custom-built for a single brand. Instead, it refers to selecting an existing typeface and applying it consistently across all brand assets. While not exclusive, designated fonts still help maintain coherence across diverse media.
The 『Sandoll Gothic Neo』 Series
Within the widely trusted and frequently adopted 『Sandoll Gothic Neo』 series, 「Sandoll Gothic Neo1」 was used as a system font for global companies such as Apple, LG, and Pantech even before its official release. Despite launching in 2011, it has continued to evolve—most notably through Unicode* expansion and professional hinting**—making it one of Sandoll’s most refined typefaces.
To expand options for designated fonts, Sandoll later developed 「Sandoll Gothic Neo2」 and 「Sandoll Gothic Neo3」. With more choices available, designers naturally became more selective when choosing which font best reflects their brand image. To help guide that choice, let’s examine the impression conveyed by each typeface in the 『Sandoll Gothic Neo』 series.
*Unicode: The international standard for character encoding. 『Sandoll Gothic Neo』 Unicode (Link) expands the original 2,350 characters to 11,172 by adding 8,822 more.
** Hinting: A technique that aligns a typeface’s vector outlines to pixel grids, allowing characters to appear crisp even at small sizes or low screen resolutions.
How Typefaces Express Emotion
The closer a character’s shape is to a square proportion, the less rhythmic the text feels. Conversely, as characters move away from a square structure, rhythm increases. Square-shaped forms therefore appear solid and dependable, whereas non-square forms feel lively and cheerful.
Applying this to the 『Sandoll Gothic Neo』 series, Neo1 → Neo3 shows a gradual shift toward less rigid, more dynamic forms. As the number increases, the tone becomes brighter and more energetic. A brand aiming for a friendly, spirited personality might choose 「Sandoll Gothic Neo3」. For a trustworthy and stable impression, Neo1, with its squarer forms, is a better fit. If your brand seeks a dependable yet approachable presence, Neo2 can serve perfectly as a designated font.
A typeface’s impression is also shaped by its baseline and x-height proportions. Fonts like Neo1, with lower letter centers, feel grounded and robust. In contrast, fonts like Neo3, with higher letter centers, convey a lighter and more buoyant tone.
Additionally, inter-letter spacing and overall gray value influence a font’s perceived weight. Depending on how each glyph is constructed, blocks of text can read as either firm and dense or airy and light.
A New Look for NICE Group: 「Sandoll Gothic Neo2」
NICE Holdings is Korea’s leading financial infrastructure company, spanning credit evaluation, credit information, asset management, and other areas foundational to the domestic capital market. Recently, NICE Holdings completely redesigned its CI system, selecting 「Sandoll Gothic Neo2」 as the designated font across all group affiliates. Compared with Neo3, Neo2 produces a more stable text flow, and compared with Neo1, it features more pronounced curvature. As a result, Neo2 strikes a balance: it communicates reliability while also projecting a sense of modernity and creativity. Below are examples of the updated CI system across NICE Group affiliates, clearly expressing both trust and innovation.
Image source: http://named-labs.com
A Tool for Expressing “Brand-ness”
Ideally, designers would oversee every brand touchpoint—but in reality, that’s rarely possible. This is why designated fonts become essential. When multiple people handle brand materials—or when non-designers produce documents—typography becomes a key mechanism for maintaining visual coherence. For example, contracts, invoices, and legal documents are typically handled by finance, legal, or sales teams—not by designers. In these cases, a designated font ensures that brand identity remains consistent across all types of documents.
All Sandoll fonts are available for licensing. They can be embedded as system fonts in games or applications, or implemented as web fonts on websites. If you’re curious about how to make the most of designated fonts, feel free to send us an inquiry (Link). We’ll not only guide you through the process but also recommend the typeface that best matches your brand. This article continues in Part 2, where we explore practical ways to apply designated fonts. See you soon!
References
Lee Yongje (2017). Impression of Hangul Typefaces.
Lee Yongje (2022). Glossary of Typographic Terms.