One Means is a typeface primarily based on the Covid tape signage
"Graphic designers are always looking for interesting examples of & # 39; found & # 39; Design, but there is something special and relevant about this new graphic language that has emerged in the past few months, ”says Intercity Creative Director and former CR Art Director Nathan Gale.
"I think it's the bold, graphic shapes made from colored or chevroned 2-inch tape – combined with the heavily textured and worn-out bottom it sticks to. The contrast makes for stunning images, designers around the world in my opinion after having documented. "
Typeface One Way is Intercity's answer to this phenomenon. The project started after Gale took a picture of duct tape stuck over herringbone pavement. Developing the design meant finding a balance between consistent letterforms and shapes that maintain a "handcrafted aesthetic".
According to Gale, the studio first created a grid and then digitally drew all of the characters before transferring them to tape. Some letters, like G and A, have stylistic alternatives, and Intercity also created eight oversized arrows to reflect on the many images they'd collected on tape in the wild.
One Way is primarily a display face and is mostly aimed at using shorter words in larger sizes – possibly paired with a more elegant type. "The font obviously references a graphic language that is now being associated with the pandemic, but its uses can be far broader," explains Gale.
"At a time when Lockdown has given many people the opportunity to try new things and spend time working at home, a handmade font seems appropriate for the situation we are in right now."
One Way is available free of charge through Intercity.