In a globalised world, icons are becoming increasingly important to bridge languages and writing systems. With the release of my typeface Logical, I followed a personal interest in how languages can be translated into symbolic forms. I developed this further through an invitation from Richard Niessen to curate the Annex of Universal Languages at the Palace of Typographic Masonry.

Even in times of high-resolution displays, fitting an icon or logo to the grid makes a big difference. It's like mastering a track for perfect radio-play. Without this, the result almost appears the same, but somewhat fuzzy and undefined. Fitting logos to the grid is crucial when designing for applications and user interfaces or other usages on screen. This is also known as pixel-perfect.

Based on an existing set of icons made by Alfons Hooikaas and pictograms designed by Eden­speiker­mann Amsterdam, I produced an icon-font by bringing the two sets together into one coherent style.

The icons also fit Adrian Frutiger’s Avenir Bold, used throughout the city’s corporate identity. Many of the icons had to be refined or adjusted for consistency and to fit type specific qualities.

For my typeface Logical, I designed a wide range of icons that can be accessed with the help of OpenType features. A dictionary of words is automatically transformed into their pictorial representations. 

The icons are kept as simple as possible to fit harmonious inside a string of text. Every weight of the typeface has an appropriate set of icons.

Together with Esther de Boer, I designed a house typeface for her client DE TONEELMAKERIJ, a theatre company for kids and teenagers. Knowing Esther’s design preferences, I included a lot of icons in the typeface that became a key part of the identity.