Intercity

One Way Typeface Design

One Way is a free typeface designed by Intercity in 2020 to mark the beginning of the new year - an occasion that seemed more important than ever. Throughout 2020, society had to find fast solutions to ever-changing problems – the most basic of which being freedom of movement. With social distancing and the 2-meter rule becoming the new normal, make-shift signage created using 2-inch sticky tape appeared on floors and walls across the world. These improvised directional signs and arrows were the inspiration for One Way, an alphabet created to reflect changing times.

The idea for the alphabet formed in Spring 2020, while documenting the arrows and rudimentary typography created with tape in public spaces. The bold typographic shapes combined with brightly coloured tape and well-worn flooring created a visual language that came to symbolise the global crisis.

Starting with a simple A3 grid, we initially sketched out the design for each character on screen, before committing to tape with the use of a lightbox. Each letterform was then photographed and digitised, including a set of stylistic alternates and limited punctuation.

In addition to the typeface itself, we also designed a type specimen and dedicated microsite where the font can be downloaded for free.