Unique and custom-made typefaces are usually expensive and tied up by exclusive copyright restrictions. But when the design and brand agency Kontrapunkt was awarded the Danish Design Prize for the self-titled typeface "Kontrapunkt”, the typeface became an experiment in democratic distribution of typefaces.

Upon receiving the award, creative director Bo Linnemann announced that the typeface would be available as a free download for anyone in the world to use: “It is a bit of an experiment. Can a typeface spread like a virus?”

The experiment has after four years proved its success through more than a 100,000 downloads, resulting in the typeface appearing in the strangest places – and with no control of which contexts it is used in.

The typeface was one of the front runners in the development of new slab serifs. This font is two-sided: on one hand every character is almost a sculpture full of surprising details that make it stand out in large sizes. On the other hand it has a high degree of legibility in small sizes. By only incorporating horizontal serifs the font guides the reader from left to right.

Kontrapunkt has a soft spot for designing typefaces. The agency has earlier developed custom made typefaces for a number of companies. Both Danske Bank, Billund Airport, DSB (Danish Railroads) and Danish Pharmacies have been equipped with typefaces designed by Kontrapunkt. And all of them have been awarded with Danish Design Prize in 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2007 respectively.

KONTRAPUNKT TYPEFACE - DOWNLOAD IT FOR FREE HERE …

http://www.kontrapunkt.com/news/ddprize_typeface_of_the_year_2004#downloads