Custom Typeface for Volvo Cars

A typeface designed around 'glance-based' clarity

Dalton Maag developed Volvo Centum as a custom typeface for Volvo Cars, designed to support rapid legibility in digital-first vehicle interiors. The typeface centres on 'glance-based' clarity — prioritising instant character recognition under brief viewing conditions. Reducing cognitive load across in-car touchpoints, with safety as an explicit design criterion, was a stated functional requirement.

Set in Volvo Centum

Insights

The typeface was developed around 'glance-based' clarity, meaning legibility is optimised for brief, rapid reading rather than sustained attention.
Reducing cognitive load in digital-first interiors was a stated functional requirement, linking type design directly to in-vehicle safety.