GE Inspira
Encyclopedia
GE Inspira is a typeface
developed by Michael Abbink around 2002 for the new visual identity system of the General Electric
Company. Since it is a proprietary typeface
of GE, not much is known about it. According to the GE Brand Manual, the typeface is at the forefront of GE's brand
expression and is recognized as being "Clear, Precise, and Modern". The typeface comes in four styles, GE Inspira Book, GE Inspira Regular, GE Inspira Pitch, and GE Inspira Small Caps.
account, which requires employment at General Electric or employment as a contractor for General Electric.
, the typeface formerly used for Volkswagen
, especially noting similarities between many of the typefaces' lower-cased letters.
Typeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
developed by Michael Abbink around 2002 for the new visual identity system of the General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
Company. Since it is a proprietary typeface
Typeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
of GE, not much is known about it. According to the GE Brand Manual, the typeface is at the forefront of GE's brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
expression and is recognized as being "Clear, Precise, and Modern". The typeface comes in four styles, GE Inspira Book, GE Inspira Regular, GE Inspira Pitch, and GE Inspira Small Caps.
Differences within the Inspira font family
As noted above, GE Inspira comes in four styles: GE Inspira Book, GE Inspira Regular, GE Inspira Pitch, and GE Inspira Small Caps. There are some major differences between these fonts, and while GE Inspira Book and GE Inspira Regular are similar in many ways, their "a"s are the most significant difference between the two. GE Inspira Book was created, as the name hints, in order to provide clear, readable text for small-texted literature, like the company's Annual Report. Finally, GE Inspira Pitch is a somewhat bolder version, designed for use in on-screen or projected presentations.Availability
GE Inspira is available for download from GE Brand Central, but it requires a GE single sign-onSingle sign-on
Single sign-on is a property of access control of multiple related, but independent software systems. With this property a user logs in once and gains access to all systems without being prompted to log in again at each of them...
account, which requires employment at General Electric or employment as a contractor for General Electric.
Similarities to other fonts
GE Inspira is very similar to VAG RoundedVAG Rounded
VAG Rundschrift or VAG Rounded is a geometric sans-serif typeface that was designed as a corporate typographic voice for the Volkswagen AG motor manufacturer.It features rounded termini on all strokes...
, the typeface formerly used for Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
, especially noting similarities between many of the typefaces' lower-cased letters.
External links
- GE Brand Central
- Corporate Identity: General Electric (GE)—basic information about GE's new brand
- GE: The Great Escape by David Weinberger on July 22, 2004