History of DIN Typeface

Following on from my post some time ago about the functionally attractive German municipal typefaces, I thought I would post a link to a short but comprehensive history of one of the main families called DIN. There is something about this typeface that still does it for me. Whether it’s on the front of a bus, a street sign, a map legend or even an underground train platform; its clarity, readability and typical German aesthetic is a sure-fire winner. Of course, I realise that using DIN for body copy would be utterly useless; that’s not where it’s strength lies. But I also think that’s why DIN continues to be used and abused in the right way. It is essentially a typeface that has found it’s home. It is comfortable where it is and doesn’t need to prove itself in any other setting.

Interestingly, I found a flickr group that is dedicated to the older forms of this typeface before DIN was officially released into use. The group’s name is called Not DIN.