After 300 years, Fortnum & Mason finally got its own bespoke typeface

A store this old and world-renowned had reached the point where it didn't make sense not to speak for itself: Gill Sans was great but overused, and definitely too pedestrian for the brand's pedigree.

Split the voice the way the company was founded — a partnership of two: traditional Fortnum Serif against the wider Mason Sans and Mason Condensed.

Otherway's London branch dived into the brand's rich archives for inspiration and returned with a robust, expansive family — sans, serif and condensed typefaces, three weights each — with letterforms that balance old-fashioned and modern, feeling uniquely inconspicuous and classically English.

The Dieline featured the typeface on 8 August 2024; no commercial results were published.

Fortnum & Mason has anchored Piccadilly for over 300 years, yet in all that time never had its own bespoke typeface — for much of the recent past it leaned on Gill Sans, a great font but overused and, in The Dieline's words, definitely too pedestrian for a brand with this pedigree.

The London branch of studio Otherway stepped in to build a robust, expansive font family. After diving into the brand's rich archives, they returned with sans, serif and condensed typefaces, each in three weights, nailing the balance between old-fashioned and modern — uniquely inconspicuous and classically English.

The family is split into two distinct voices befitting the company's original dual partnership: the more old-school, traditional Fortnum Serif, and a slightly wider range of sans typefaces in Mason Sans and Mason Condensed. The Dieline featured the typeface on 8 August 2024.

Shared retail fonts erase the difference between a 300-year-old institution and any high-street chain; an owned family makes the voice un-borrowable.

Splitting the typefaces into Fortnum and Mason mirrors the founding partnership — the letterforms retell the origin story in every headline.

Archive digging keeps the letterforms classically English while three weights per family give the flexibility modern print and digital touchpoints need.

A bespoke typeface is brand infrastructure: once every touchpoint speaks in your own letterforms, no competitor can borrow your voice.

The Dieline covered the typeface on 8 August 2024; no commercial results were reported.