» Ikea Goes Cheap: How Good Design Becomes Bad

For anyone who reached into their mailbox last week and noticed something fishy about Ikea’s 2010 catalog, it was the font. Ikea has caused quite a stir in the design community with their recent decision to switch brand typefaces.

The long standing relationship with Futura came to an end as the business opted for the more functional typeset in Verdana. In other words, Futura didn’t have the same lust that it did over 50 years ago.

For the casual consumer this is probably not news that will make you jump out of your seat in outrage. But for a company that has made its mark as a home products retailer that promotes good design, Verdana can be seen as a fundamental departure from their brand image.

A departure that has been well documented by Creative Directors and enthusiasts across the world. One designer was quoted as saying “I wonder if they are going to start selling furniture at Wal-Mart too.”

To bring everyone up to speed, Verdana was developed by Microsoft in 1996 and has been bundled with the Windows OS ever since. It is also freely available on Microsoft’s website to anyone with a computer that can support TrueType fonts.

Verdana was designed as an on-screen typeface with loose letter spacing, which means that using it for print is generally a no-no. Ikea spokeswoman Monika Gocic believes it is a yes-yes and says Ikea will continue to use it because it is “cost-effective.”

Since when are fonts not cost-effective? Did Futura call up Mr. Ikea and demand royalties? They have been printing these magazines for years. Ikea should have afforded the extra cost instead of revealing their cheap side.

If Ikea is willing to choose a less than quality typeface in an effort to save money, then I can safely assume that they will use less than quality materials in their merchandise to save money as well.

Tags: Ikea