Time-tested dots
New year, new letters! Spring is (finally) here, but that doesn’t prevent us from sharing our typography throwback of 2023. We’re thrilled to introduce our fourth font from a series of five — a font that will gradually become a part of your train commute in Copenhagen.
In collaboration with the DSB UX team, we’ve transformed Via — the familiar DSB font — into the world of dot matrix displays. These displays, ranging from tiny seat reservation displays to large carriage numbers, are cost-effective, low maintenance, and highly visible despite their low-resolution constraint. Our joint mission was to enhance the passenger experience with precise, dynamic, and visually appealing information displays while maintaining the familiar DSB visual voice.
DSB will fully integrate the font with the new IC5 trains, but perhaps you’ve already seen DSB’s own variation of the dotted Via typeface on an S-tog display?
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Public transportation has always been close to our hearts at Kontrapunkt, and we take pride in supporting it with good design and typography, not least.
Rasmus Michaelis, Head of Type Design and Partner
DSB Dot Via 16 represents the latest addition to a lineage of highly legible typographies designed to guide passengers along Zealand’s train tracks and bus routes. The transition from the familiar DSB identity to a low-resolution matrix display mirrors our previous projects for Copenhagen Metro and Movia – all three adapt dots as the cornerstone for a range of adaptations customised for modern LED screens.
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We love the challenge of adapting well-known typefaces to ultra-low-resolution LED grids, ensuring that brand recognition remains intact and passengers feel at home. Over the years, our expertise in this field has also helped the Copenhagen Metro and Movia.
Rasmus Michaelis, Head of Type Design and Partner
Learn more about the case
Next stop - a fully-integrated transport system
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