Untitled Case
A cancer ribbon redesigned as a typeface
TypeMates, collaborating with Serviceplan Group's Akim Sämmer and Jörg Schmitt, created a custom typeface family for Ultra Rare Sarcoma e.V., a nonprofit focused on research, treatment, and education around rare sarcomas. The design translates the yellow cancer-awareness ribbon into letterforms, with curves that twist from the inside out to evoke a folded ribbon. The system pairs an accessible sans-serif for body text with expressive loop-effect alternates for headlines, combinable automatically via OpenType programming.
Set in Ultra Rare Type
Insights
- An initial static base design was abandoned because it made the expressive loop characters appear fragmented; a dynamic approach was adopted instead.
- OpenType programming allows automatic combination of the plain and loop-effect styles, removing the need for manual glyph substitution.
- The project received a Red Dot 'Best of the Best' in Brand Design and a Red Dot Award in the Typefaces category (2026), plus Gold at the German Design Award 2027 for Excellent Communications Design Typography.
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