Klim Type Foundry Website

Choosing a typeface is a deeply complex concept at the best of time for designers. After reading the information behind the site, I instantly knew this submission was a standout. Not only did they take their key persona extremely seriously, they backed this up with cutting edge tech, meaning that as the web evolves this site with take full advantage of new opportunities presented. ‘Font’ websites can often feel flat, stark (not in a clean useful way) and disconnected from the end job type does. Express and communicate. Subtleties of pushing past the traditional ‘web’ grid really stood out to me and I believe they blended traditional tactile design techniques with digital interaction perfectly. Ash Ivory, Juror

The Klim Type Foundry website excels in all aspects of website planning, design, and build. It’s clear that the project team knew their audience well. The structure is simple, which makes finding content fast and intuitive. There is also unexpected content such as animation, which creates an extremely engaging experience. The product or typefaces are never far away, a simple click when you are ready to browse. The site’s content is beautiful, with the typefaces expressed through both animation and photography. The perfect balance of resources, such as fonts in use and the blog, complements the products and allows for selection ease. The site scales well down to touch devices while still retaining a strong visual hierarchy. It therefore ticks all boxes from aesthetics to accessibility. For these reasons, I happily choose the Klim Type Foundry website as my Judge’s choice. Jamie Judges, Juror

The Klim Type website has been implemented at an extremely high level with an attention to detail that is absolutely world class. The basic design / layout and navigation is functional and well thought out with the layers of polish applied through bespoke animation, transitions and subtle effects only serving to enrich the experience. So often effects and flourishes are inconsistent with the overall flow of the site but these simply contribute to the overall experiential nature of the site. It’s a website that I remember emotionally, it captures my attention and would resonate strongly with its intended audience. Morgan Martin-Skerm, Juror

An impeccable grid structure, stunning visuals, and an interface that lets you test every detail of the expertly crafted typography. Ultimately leading to such a detailed experience on site that the user has power to make a decision to purchase the typeface without having to download the test fonts. In the case that you do wish to test the font out, a key feature of the site compared to the competition is that it lets you download the entire retail bucket of fonts in both Open Type and Web, which once again leads the user comfortably back to path to purchase. Every interaction state and responsive break-point has been considered, the site performs fast, and delivers true function and form to the user. The checkout and account creation experience is extremely intuitive and does not break out of the conventions of the design aesthetic the user is familiar with through the course of their journey. In-depth editorial content allows the user to further understand all decisions made during the crafting of the typeface, it’s origins, it’s unique traits and its applications. This key information delivered in such an engaging manner allows the user to cement in their mind a position to make a choice on the typeface for the purpose of their work. All in all, an unforgettable experience that keeps the foundry top of mind when the user is looking for a new typeface or simply inspiration for a new idea. Admittedly I too have fallen victim to this website's experience having completed several purchases on the count that every detail was considered from the very start of the user journey to the very end. Ahmed Meer, Juror

Typefaces are not just products they are tools, therefore an entirely different approach is required, when it comes to selling them. This approach has never been better exemplified than in Klim Type Foundrys new website. The site is the clear culmination of in-depth research, technical knowledge and masterful design. Insightful articles, engaging galleries of work combined with an intuitive UI and useful tools make the experience of searching for, examining and purchasing typefaces a joy. Klim has set a new global benchmark for type foundry websites. Luke Scott, Juror

Klim Type Foundry Website is an exceptional website both visually and technically. It uses huge high-resolution images and video but is still super fast to load. It has a lot of information to convey but does so intuitively through a simple navigation and menu structure. It makes me want to spend time exploring it, yet if I just want to go there to buy fonts, then that is also a seamless experience. It’s largely monochrome, but that has no impact on the appeal. It does all this on mobile as well, with no sacrifices to the experience. I would imagine that being tasked with designing a website for a Type Foundry would be a daunting experience as well, anticipating how fanatically the design details will likely be assessed, so bonus points there too, for taking it on and nailing it! Anthony Wymond, Juror