A dance of legibility and personality: how Sylvan Lanz designed a custom typeface for FC Basel 1893

Footie nerd or not, some of us might have noticed something different about FC Basel 1893. It’s almost impossible to miss the punchy new typeface splashed across the scoreboard at the club’s games, and seen on the back of their players’ jerseys. The variable, custom typeface – originally conceived as a kit font, but ultimately developed as a titling typeface used across all communication channels – is crafted by graphic and type designer Sylvan Lanz. When seen transitioning between its six styles, the variable typeface seems to break into a dance of circular edges and sharp angles. To design the typeface, Lanz – who, charmingly, had accompanied the players of FCB on the pitch as a child mascot in 2001 – had to dive deep into the club’s history, and the typographic legacy of Basel, the city that’s home to both him and the club. We caught up with Lanz to delve into the process of designing the power-packed typeface, which has already become a favourite amongst hardcore fans and jersey collectors. 

RB Congratulations on the big project! How does it feel to see your typeface for FC Basel 1893 in action?

SL Thanks! It’s a huge honour, and it still feels a bit unreal to see the players enter the stadium with the typeface I’ve designed on their jerseys. In my childhood, I had the chance to accompany the players of FCB on the pitch as a child mascot. It was in 2001, the season they won their first titles after 22 years, just one season after moving into the iconic new Joggeli stadium (St. Jakob-Park) by Herzog & de Meuron. These events marked me, and since then, I have been fascinated by the club, which now has regularly represented Swiss football on an international level for over two decades.

There is a myth that FC Barcelona took over their club colours from FC Basel.

RB How did the project come about? 

SL In recent years, the club has changed its strategy when it comes to visual communication and graphic design. They used to work with an external agency and had a jersey supplier who offered limited design possibilities. There were seasons where the club even received jersey designs from FC Barcelona’s previous years. Also, an interesting side note: there is a myth that FC Barcelona took over their club colours from FC Basel, as their founder Hans Gamper once played for FC Basel.

Anyway, for the past few years, most of the design and communication work has been done internally by the club’s design, marketing, and content departments. They also changed the jersey supplier to Macron, who offers more creative freedom. Based on these new possibilities, they decided to regularly collaborate with designers or artists from the city. For example, last year’s jersey was designed in collaboration with Herzog & de Meuron (2022/23). This year’s warm-up shirt was designed with creatives from the fan block (2023/24), and they are currently working on a jersey with a fashion designer. 

Personally, I was fortunate to be in touch with the brand and marketing department while they were discussing the back numbers for the upcoming season. Initially, I thought it would be really cool if they just bought a licence for one of my existing fonts. But after showing them an overview of my work, they asked if I would be interested in creating an exclusive typeface specifically for the back numbers.

RB You’ve spoken about how 1893 reflects the typographic legacy of Basel. Were there any specific landmarks or points in the city’s design history that you were looking at?

SL Of course, the Basel School of Design was highly influential in the 20th century, thanks to its well-known figures. The Haas Schriftgiesserei also played a significant role in the spread of Swiss typography. Given the limited horizontal space on jerseys, which requires relatively narrow letter proportions, I focused on condensed letterings used on posters from the 1950s onwards. Emil Ruder’s wood type, which was also used on some game posters until the 1980s, is one of the better-known examples. However, during that era, many designers developed their own specific condensed letterings, as did Peter von Arx on his posters for art gallery Kunsthalle Basel. Additionally, I was interested in graffiti, tags, and designs from the ultra scene.

RB How did you ensure that the final form both nods to the history of the club, but also feels immediately fresh and modern?

SL For me, it was important to be aware of what had already been done without turning the font into a revival project. Going through all the references helped me find inspiration and generate new ideas. The result is a synthesis of those references, translated into the present – thanks in part to variable font technology.

RB 1893 allows the generation of six different styles – why did you think the six styles were necessary, and how did you arrive at the forms?

SL I thought it could be interesting to develop a system that reflects the diversity of shapes in the club’s history, and offers the club the possibility of variation. Initially, there was the idea of having different versions for the home, away and third jerseys, for example. However, for technical reasons, this wasn’t possible, and they’ve chosen the ‘Circular Squared’ version for this season.

The six styles result from a variable system that uses an outline and an inline axis. The outline allows for a switch between circular outer shapes, angular ones, or even pushing it further towards the inverted. The inline axis enables a switch between circular or squared inner shapes.

At first, I started by exploring the transition from circular outlines to angular ones. From there, I experimented with further extrapolation, leading to the inverted shapes, which may remind some of graffiti characteristics. These three steps were combined with the possibility of circular or squared inner shapes, to complete the system. 

RB When it comes to kit typefaces, readability, especially from a distance, is a key factor that drives the creative process. 1893 doesn’t compromise on legibility, and better yet, it also has a big personality. Did you set out to strike that delicate balance between expressivity and readability?

SL The genre of the kit typeface allows for a relatively graphical approach, as it is a specific application. Compared to text typefaces designed for broader use, kit fonts are made for this particular application, typically displayed in large numbers combined with player names. However, UEFA Equipment Regulations require a readability from at least 50 metres away. Many kit typefaces use very simple construction principles, and some may have gone too far in simplifying the design. I recall a case where a referee gave a red card to the wrong player because they couldn’t distinguish between the numbers 11 and 17. So, my intention was to achieve a good balance between legibility and expressiveness.

A referee gave a red card to the wrong player because they couldn’t distinguish between the numbers 11 and 17.

RB What kind of challenges did you have to navigate through the project?

SL The club gave me a lot of freedom, almost a carte blanche. Initially, it was challenging for me to choose a direction, I sketched around fifteen different ideas. The project also had a relatively short timeline. And, of course, there were personal doubts as well, such as the fear of fans not liking it. But in the end, the feedback was very positive, from hardcore fans to jersey collectors. And the collaboration with the club went smoothly and was really enjoyable.

There were also some technical challenges when it came to production. The back numbers are delivered individually on a foil and heat printed manually. I had to learn that, for practical reasons, back numbers typically don’t have overshoot – the optical compensation used to make round shapes appear the same size as straight ones. Perhaps, this is another reason why they’re still often angular and straight at the top and bottom, where overshoot is not needed. However, in our case, overshoot was essential. It presented a bit of a challenge to find a technical solution, but the club was insistent and engaged in discussions with the producer to resolve it. As far as I know, we’re the first to do this, making it a small technical innovation in this field. 

RB Was the process of crafting 1893 in any way different than that of designing other typefaces you’ve created so far?

SL The process was different because the typeface was primarily conceived for a specific application, even if in the end, it was developed to be used as a titling font on all communication channels. Testing it in real size, both on paper and directly on a jersey, was very useful during the development. Technically, the variable system required complex drawings, and specific features were added to meet the club’s needs. For example, with the unicase accent characters, we had to maintain a consistent text block where no accent extends beyond the capital height or a stylistic set, with the club’s monogram integrated into the numerals. It was about crafting a specific tool.

RB How do you hope the typeface conveys the identity of the brand to the fans of the club and viewers across the world?

SL As this year marks the 130th anniversary of the club, I hope it honours the long heritage of this traditional club, while also expressing graphical strength and a fresh attitude. Someone mentioned to me that the new back numbers make the players’ shoulders appear broader. So, I hope it helps express confidence and presence on the pitch as well.

Sylvan Lanz