A brand voice is not only articulated with the words used, but also with the visual aspects of how the words appear in communications. Typography plays a key role in bringing the brand voice to life.

“Type is a beautiful group of letters, not a group of beautiful letters.”

- Matthew Carter

Purposeful design decisions, matched with clear intent marks the success of a font design. When the components; letters, punctuation, numbers, spacing etc., work together in harmony, reading is effortless and enjoyable.

Sun Life New Display

The Sun Life Display font design is rooted in time-honoured aesthetics, taking inspiration from classical serif type designs from the early 19th century. Originally developed for use within books, it is still common today to read a book using one of these font designs. The familiarity of these letterforms establishes a feeling of warmth with readers.

Contrast within the letterforms is a key design feature of a serif font. With roots in calligraphy and penmanship this element connects with readers on a human level. To balance style and functionality, a medium level of stroke contrast was used for Sun Life New Display, creating a sophisticated yet approachable look. The medium level of contrast also has a functional purpose, reproducing well at a wide range of sizes, in both digital and print applications.

To create a comfortable reading experience the x-height was designed to be generous but not too large. The medium amount of size contrast between the x-height, ascenders, descenders, and capitals makes it easy to distinguish each individual letter, word, and headline.

The type design is carefully crafted with thoughtful elements. The serifs have enough weight to guide the eye horizontally from one letter to the next. They are also bracketed, making a smooth visual transition from the vertical stroke to the horizontal serif. The contrast axis was shifted upright to almost vertical, visible in the lowercase “e” and bowl of the “p”. Classical serif styles commonly have a larger angle – derived from handwriting with broad nib pen. By shifting the contrast axis, the strokes flow into smooth rounded forms that look contemporary and confident.

To bring all the design elements together, the letterspacing was kept snug. The closeness of the words makes them feel approachable. When typesetting headlines, our Brand Voice effortlessly communicates warmth and optimism.

Sun Life New Text

The text family is designed to complement the display with functional usage in mind. To create a common thread with the display family, the same classical book-design structure was used. The design features are optimized for legibility at body copy sizes, on-screen and in print. The medium x-height easily distinguishes the lowercase, capitals, ascenders, and descenders. The overall weights are calibrated for text use, with low stroke contrast. And open apertures enhance legibility, by adding space within the letterforms - the “a” and “e” are good examples. This feature also helps to carry the eye to the next letter with the strokes remaining mostly horizontal. Together the design features produce a smooth, comfortable read, ideal for conversations about insurance, health or investments.

As a key part of Sun Life's new visual identity, Sun Life New Display and Sun Life New Text fonts were custom built and crafted to bring our Brand Voice to life. Together they capture optimism, with a confident, sophisticated style that connects on a human level to evoke the feeling of warmth. The design intent of the fonts embodies Sun Life's Purpose. Each design decision considers how the words will be read, putting clients at the centre of our focus.