Anders is the name of a geometric typeface with a modern look, unlike the more familiar serifs and san serifs. With geometric fonts, basic shapes such as a square, triangle or circle take over the main portion of the design. Anders font offers optical patterns and specific structure and avoids the complications of serifs. You’ll see this style of typeface used most often in contemporary pieces.
Anders font has a clean but bold look and works well with minimalistic designs. Combining minimalism with this type puts the focus on the letters and doesn’t cause the design to look overly busy. Because screen resolutions improve every year and geometric styles are unadorned, more designers recommend fonts such as Anders for online creations. Geometric works well for blocks of text, too. Anders font is one well worth looking into and considering for your next project. Unless you’re working on something needing a vintage look, the applications of geometric typefaces are endless.
Origin
Anders font is the brainchild of U.K. designer Tom Anders Watkins. He began his career while still a teen, becoming well known in the industry before he hit 20. Although Watkins is now in his mid-20s, he hasn’t slowed down, adding filmmaking credits to his already impressive portfolio. He paid his way through college by selling various digital design goods. He’s won some impressive awards for as young as he is. Watkins placed second for a film at the Cannes Young Lions and was named to Adobe Photoshop’s 25 under 25. Geometric fonts go back to 1920s elemental typography and are tied to the Bauhaus movement.
Some of the designs weren’t discernable during this era because they were so intricate. By the 1970s, when ITC Bauhuas became popular, geometric designs were more widely embraced. Other popular fonts in this style include Futura and Avenir. Watkins posted the Anders font on Behance in July of 2014. He noted that he created the font as an experiment and wanted to give back to the world as a thank you for its “overwhelming support.” Other modern fonts inspired him, and he wanted something minimal yet unique. The type is free for both personal and commercial use. He only asks you to let him know how you used it.
What Does the Font Imply?
Anders font has a modern design. It reminds you of a futuristic movie or a neon sign. Unlike script fonts, such as Bromello, Anders has straight lines with sharp edges. In various interviews, Watkins advises his fans to “be bold” and “take risks.” The font has a grab-the-world and never-miss-out feel to it, speaking directly to this philosophy.
The font works best for projects and companies with a hip, fun vibe. It wouldn’t do as well in more traditional settings. That’s OK, as there are plenty of fonts with a more conventional feel. Note the long, thin lines of the letters and the stark juxtaposition of the angles. You’ll find straight lines and no curves. The letter “A,” for example, has a point at the top.
Although you will find semicircles for letters, such as D and R, the movement from horizontal to vertical is stark. Note the straight lines on the bottom part of the letter R rather than a curved section.
Where It’s Commonly Found and Used
Anders has a more casual than formal feel to it. It works great for posters, film credits and websites. It would do equally well as part of a logo. Although a search on FontReach for Anders found zero results, it doesn’t account for usage as part of an image. On one site, Anders font was downloaded 17,545 times. Clearly, a variety of designers download and use Anders for a range of projects. You are most likely to see this unique font in a header on a website. However, it also scales nicely for print design, and you might see it on a poster or announcement. Watkins works on commercial feature films, so it isn’t surprising it might work well as part of a movie title.
What Should It Be Used As?
The simple lines of Anders font make it suitable for larger projects, such as billboards and outdoor signs. You could use Anders as the letters for a store sign or an outdoor banner. Geometric styles are less suitable for smaller pieces, such as an event invitation or postcard-sized ad. Even though the lines translate well on a smaller scale, the height of the letters makes them cumbersome in small spaces. It’s best to go with something less geometric for small print projects.
Save Anders for larger sizes where the user can step back and take in the design. Because it is a modern font, you’ll want to reserve its use to projects calling for a more contemporary look. One example of where you might use Anders font is a new fusion cuisine restaurant. Tech startups would also benefit from a logo created in this font. Use it in a website header when you want a look resonating with Gen-Zers.
Geometric Fonts in Your Repertoire
Anders is a unique font created by a young genius in the industry. Watkins is known for his work ethic. He even put aside the typical college student socializing to work on his side projects outside of classroom hours. Having a geometric font to turn to when you need some extra oomph for your designs makes smart business sense. Even if you don’t have an occasion to use Anders font today, keep it on the backburner for the future.
The Font Series Guide: Introduction
Chapter 1: 15 Google Fonts You Should Be Using
Chapter 2: Times New Roman
Chapter 3: Roboto
Chapter 4: Georgia
Chapter 5: Verdana
Chapter 6: Helvetica
Chapter 7: Comic Sans
Chapter 8: Didot
Chapter 9: Arial
Chapter 10: Tahoma
Chapter 11: Garamond
Chapter 12: Century Gothic
Chapter 13: Brody
Chapter 14: Bromello
Chapter 15: Savoy
Chapter 16: Athene
Chapter 17: Calibri
Chapter 18: Proxima Nova
Chapter 19: Anders
Chapter 20: Monthoers
About The Author
Eleanor Hecks is the Editor-in-Chief of Designerly Magazine, an online publication dedicated to providing in-depth content from the design and marketing industries. When she's not designing or writing code, you can find her re-reading the Harry Potter series, burning calories at a local Zumba class, or hanging out with her dogs, Bear and Lucy.
