The custom-made font for Google’s mobile platform, Android, took almost as long to make as the device itself. Dubbed the Droid, the font is a product of a two-year collaboration between Mountain View, a California-based Internet giant, and Ascender, a digital typeface company based in Elk Grove Village.

Ascender has created fonts for Microsoft, Motorola and others. It got the assignment because its workers knew people on Android’s design and development teams. The company is also a member of Google’s Open Handset Alliance, a coalition of 34 companies working on Android projects. For the Android Google, Ascender wanted a font with “common appeal” and Google requested a design that was friendly and approachable. The first design was “bouncy”: a look in line with the Google logo’s angled lowercase “e.”

Google passed on the design and another proposal featured squared-off edges reminiscent of early computer typefaces. This and several others were rejected in favor of a more neutral design that was useful and comfortable to read. Applications written for Android will also feature Droid as the font and is built into the platform’s software development kit.

Tags: Google, typeface

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