Featured image for Introducing TCCC Unity: A Bespoke Typeface from an Iconic Soda Brand

Introducing TCCC Unity: A Bespoke Typeface from an Iconic Soda Brand

by Theresa Christine Johnson on 01/09/2018 | 2 Minute Read

Editorial photograph

The Coca-Cola Company has been around for over a century, but they just experienced a first: Brody Associates unveiled a bespoke typeface inspired by the brand itself. The typeface—called TCCC Unity, which stands for The Coca-Cola Company Unity—is described by vice president of global design, James Sommerville, as “encapsulating elements from Coca-Cola’s past and its American Modernist heritage.”

Editorial photograph

The news has been met with mixed reviews. It’s Nice That points out how they’re predictably following in the footsteps of brands who have already done this, such as YouTube, Airbnb, and IBM. FastCo Design further scrutinizes the move, examining the well-known fact that soda is actually kind of terrible for you and that maybe the company should be putting more efforts into planning the long game. “A ‘modern’ typeface is not a new idea…No, it’s time that Coca-Cola rethinks its core convictions, and what it can do with a global distribution network other than sell more soda.”

Regardless, there's no denying the depths this project went to in creating the typeface. Brody Associates produced a variety of weights and styles, giving it maximum flexibility to be used, to grow, and to evolve. It feels modern and versatile—easily able to roll out in all touchpoints. There’s also an app, TCCC Unity, in which the creators tell how the typeface’s personality came from the company’s visual heritage. It offers a unique peek at the process for creating it and even includes a selection from Coca-Cola’s archives to show what was used for inspiration.

Editorial photograph