Kontrapunkt Wins Danish Design Prize: Typeface Of The Year

WE'RE GIVING IT AWAY FOR FREE. DOWNLOAD IT HERE.

On October 22 2004 Kontrapunkt was awarded the Danish Design Prize for best typeface. The awarded typeface is our own corporate typeface ‘Kontrapunkt Light’, used in headers on this website and our printed material. The award was handed over by Crown Prince Frederik to creative director Bo Linnemann at a ceremony in Danish Design Centre.

We are very proud of this prize, says Bo Linnemann. Developing typefaces is an old craft. Today, we see that typefaces is getting a more and more important role in corporate identities. It is recognized that a typeface is a strong element in the toolbox of a visual identity. We at Kontrapunkt would also like to pace typefaces forward. Having your own font is a subtle and elegant way to illuminate identities, he says.

The awarded typeface is named Kontrapunkt. We would like to give away the typeface, which is very dear to us. It is a bit of an experiment. Can a typeface spread like a virus?; Bo Linnemann says.

Try out the Kontrapunkt typeface below.

Design of new typefaces has during the past 20-25 years focused on the development of new serif and sans serif fonts. Both in Denmark and internationally. We have been focusing on the development of a new slab serif in Kontrapunkt. We believe that this almost forgotten typeface deserves to be reinterpreted in a modern context, and on an equal level with the other, more popular typefaces. The aim has been to develop a distinct font, with regards to both the inidividual character and the overall image as such. The typeface has so far been developed in a light, light italic and bold version.

Kontrapunkt has a soft spot for designing typefaces. The studio has earlier developed custom made typefaces in visual identities for a number of companies. Both Danske Bank, Billund Airport and DSB (Danish Railroads) have been equipped with typefaces designed by Kontrapunkt. And all of them have been awarded with Danish Design Prize in 1997, 2001 and 2002 respectively.

Visit Danish Design Centre’s Design Prize website.

Download the presentation describing the design considerations of the typeface (PDF, in Danish only, 1.7 mB) Download the Kontrapunkt font for PC (ZIP, 144 Kb): contains Kontrapunkt Light / Kontrapunkt Light Italic / Kontrapunkt Bold Download the Kontrapunkt font for MAC (SIT, 168 Kb): contains Kontrapunkt Light / Kontrapunkt Light Italic / Kontrapunkt Bold

Please feel free to use the font - just don’t resell it. And please if you use the font. ///

October 2004