The coffee brand JACOBS stands for quality coffee, passion, and exquisite taste since 1895. As part of a modernization of the visual identity, Studio Rene Bieder was commissioned to create an exclusive typeface.
The new visual identity, created by DesignBridge and Partners, is inspired by the brand’s origins at the beginning of the twentieth century. The idea was to create a bridge between modernity and Jacobs’ long-standing coffee tradition which should be reflected in the typography.
Alongside a subtle touch of imperfection and reminiscent of grotesque, sans-serif forms of the era, one of the most striking features is the emphasized crossbar in the uppercase letters A, V, X, K, and M. This reflects the spirit of the industrial age and serves as a starting point for a blend of traditional and modern typography.
During the design process, many shapes were created that did not make it into the final standard set. These shapes were integrated as alternate shapes such as the serpentine S, the double story g or the circular two to create typographic accents in headlines when needed.
As space is often in short supply in packaging design, two space-saving styles were designed in addition to the standard width typeface, which are based on the requirements of packaging design and enable striking typographic solutions.
To comprehensively serve Jacobs diverse markets, the typeface was designed in three scripts: Latin, Greek and Cyrillic. The family offers support for over 200 languages worldwide, ensuring comprehensive coverage across diverse linguistic needs.
