Brand Typefaces
Founders Grotesk is our primary typeface and Plantin is our secondary, supporting typeface.
The consistent use of Founders Grotesk and Plantin is key to the integrity of the Haworth design system.
The interplay of this typeface combination is unique to Haworth. It communicates design leadership and conveys clear, confident messaging.
Alternative Fonts
For Microsoft Office applications (except Outlook), use Franklin Gothic instead of Founders Grotesk and Century instead of Plantin. These Microsoft Font Library fonts were selected to avoid licensing issues in our brand templates.
Franklin Gothic is most widely used within our Haworth brand templates, and Century generally is used for corporate communications.
For email, use Arial—one of the most widely distributed and used typefaces in the world—to ensure the font will be present within the receiving party’s software for brand consistency.
Do not mix alternative typefaces with brand typefaces.
Hierarchy
Founders Grotesk Bold XCnd Use for titles, infographics, or display type for extra emphasis within corporate pieces. Use minimally.
Founders Grotesk Headline 40 pt Leading 36 pt
Plantin MT Pro Bold Use as headline and display text only on expressive projects (e.g., editorial pieces or invitations).
Plantin Headline 36 pt Leading 36 pt
Founders Grotesk Medium For titles in publications, brochures, i.e customer story. Maximum 24 characters per line.
Founders Large Title 22 pt
Leading 24 pt
Plantin MT Pro Regular For emphasis on messaging. Maximum 24 characters per line. 2 line max.
Plantin Large Text 24 pt
Leading 30 pt
Founders Grotesk Medium For titles within text i.e white paper. Maximum 30 characters in a maximum of 1 line.
Founders Medium Title 15 pt
Leading 18 pt
Plantin MT Pro Regular For pull quotes and quotes within text, and short paragraphs not spanning more than 1 page.
Plantin Medium Text 14 pt
Leading 18 pt
Founders Grotesk Regular For technical body text and information i.e dates, time.
Founders Standard Text 10 pt
Leading 12 pt
Plantin MT Pro Regular For body text in messaging or long form text spanning multiple pages.
Plantin Standard Text 9.65 pt
Leading 12 pt
Founders Grotesk Regular Use for body text (i.e., long-form text spanning multiple paragraphs).
Founders Subtext 8 pt
Leading 10 pt
Plantin MT Pro is not used for caption and subtext.
Letter Spacing
Letter spacing should typically be set to its default (0) and fine-tuned up to -10 and 10.
Founders Grotesk Bold XCnd
Just Right
Too Tight
Too Loose
Plantin MT Pro Bold
Just Right
Too Tight
Too Loose
Founders Grotesk Medium
Just right Too tight Too loose
Plantin MT Pro Regular
Just right Too tight Too loose
Founders Grotesk Medium
Just Right Too Tight Too Loose
Plantin MT Pro Regular
Just right Too tight Too loose
Founders Grotesk Regular
Just Right Too Tight Too Loose
Plantin MT Pro Regular
Just right Too tight Too loose
Founders Grotesk Regular
Just Right Too Tight Too Loose
Plantin MT Pro is not used for caption and subtext.
Usage
Correct typefaces and proper kerning are just the start. Follow these dos and don'ts to ensure appropriate use of typography on behalf of the brand.
Use type to emphasize
Over-emphasize everything—it loses hierarchy
Be concise
Use long headlines
Use title case for headlines, without punctuation
Use all caps in Founders Grotesk Bold XCnd or body copy
The larger the type size, the shorter the copy
Add a period or an exclamation point to a headline
Stack type rather than forcing it into one line
Underline type unless it’s a digital hyperlink or required per Editorial Style Guide
Apply callout treatments sparingly
Use floating quotations
Use quotations as pull quotes or introduced within the context of body copy