Futura®
BUYLEAD VERSION
- Designer
- Paul Renner
- Foundry
- Bauersche Giesserei
(Bauer Types) - Year
- 1927
DIGITAL VERSION
- Publisher
- Bauer Types
- Design & Production
- Neufville Digital
- Year
- 1998
- UPDATE
- Year
- 2026
Bauer Types
DESCRIPTION
Futura is a geometric sans-serif typeface published in 1927 by the Bauersche Giesserei (Bauer Types). Conceived during a period of profound cultural, social, and technological transformation, it emerged as a new visual language aligned with the ideals of modernity.
Created in the interwar years, Futura was intended to project the future without losing its connection to the past. Inspired by classical proportion and shaped by modern thought, it quickly became one of the most influential typefaces of the twentieth century. Nearly one hundred years later, it remains synonymous with clarity, universality, and lasting relevance across print and digital media.
Futura® is a trademark
of Bauer Types SL. and
is used under license.
Futura®
THE TYPE OF TODAY
AND TOMORROW.
Our star font, now better.
Futura® Book in use
over Paul Renner portrait.
Futura® family
- Futura ND Light
- Futura ND Light Oblique
- Futura ND Book
- Futura ND Oblique
- Futura ND Medium
- Futura ND Medium Oblique
- Futura ND Demibold
- Futura ND Demibold Oblique
- Futura ND Bold
- Futura ND Bold Oblique
- Futura ND Extrabold
- Futura ND Extrabold Oblique
TYPE TESTER
Languages
- Afrikaans
- Albanian
- Asturian
- Asu
- Basque
- Bemba
- Bena
- Bosnian
- Catalan
- Cebuano
- Chiga
- Colognian
- Cornish
- Corsican
- Croatian
- Czech
- Danish
- Dutch
- Embu
- English
- Estonian
- Faroese
- Filipino
- Finnish
- French
- Friulian
- Galician
- Ganda
- German
- Gusii
- Haitian Creole
- Hungarian
- Icelandic
- Ido
- Inari Sami
- Indonesian
- Interlingua
- Irish
- Iskonawa
- Italian
- Javanese
- Jju
- Jola-Fonyi
- Kabuverdianu
- Kalaallisut
- Kalenjin
- Kamba
- Kikuyu
- Kinyarwanda
- Latvian
- Lithuanian
- Lojban
- Lower Sorbian
- Luo
- Luxembourgish
- Luyia
- Machame
- Makhuwa-Meetto
- Makonde
- Malagasy
- Malay
- Maltese
- Manx
- Māori
- Meru
- Morisyen
- North Ndebele
- North Sámi
- Northern Sotho
- Norwegian Bokmål
- Norwegian Nynorsk
- Nyanja
- Nyankole
- Occitan
- Oromo
- Pite Sámi
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Romanian
- Romansh
- Rombo
- Rundi
- Rwa
- Samburu
- Sango
- Sangu
- Sardinian
- Scottish Gaelic
- Sena
- Serbian
- Shambala
- Shipibo-Konibo
- Shona
- Slovak
- Slovenian
- Soga
- Somali
- South Ndebele
- Southern Sotho
- Spanish
- Sundanese
- Swahili
- Swati
- Swedish
- Swiss German
- Taita
- Taroko
- Teso
- Tsonga
- Tswana
- Turkish
- Turkmen
- Ume Sámi
- Upper Sorbian
- Vunjo
- Walloon
- Welsh
- Wolastoqey
- Wolof
- Xhosa
- Zulu
Context
The Futura project began in 1924, when Paul Renner was commissioned by publisher Jakob Hegner to design “the typeface of our time.” Shortly afterward, Renner presented his sketches to Heinrich Jost, art director of the Bauersche Giesserei, who introduced the project to Georg Hartmann. Enthusiastic about the proposal, Hartmann signed a contract with Renner that remains in force to this day.
Renner developed the typeface by combining the proportions of Roman capitals with the constructive logic of elementary geometry. Although Futura appears strictly geometric, it incorporates subtle optical corrections—such as slightly oval round forms—to achieve visual balance and optimal legibility. Throughout the production of the matrices, Bauer refined the drawings to meet both aesthetic and technical requirements.
After three years of close collaboration between Renner, Jost, and Hartmann, Futura was launched in 1927, achieving a balance between commercial vision and bold formal functionality.
Futura Specimen Cover
Neufville, Barcelona. circa 1950
Futura Specimen Spread
Neufville, Barcelona. circa 1950
Futura Specimen Spread
Neufville, Barcelona. circa 1950
Futura Specimen Spread
Neufville, Barcelona. circa 1950
Futura Specimen Spread
Neufville, Barcelona. circa 1950
Futura Specimen Spread
Neufville, Barcelona. circa 1950
Futura Specimen Spread
Neufville, Barcelona. circa 1950
Futura Specimen Spread
Neufville, Barcelona. circa 1950
Biography
Paul Renner (1878–1956) was a German graphic designer, typographer, painter, teacher, and influential writer on typography. Trained in the classical arts yet deeply engaged with modern thought, he approached design as a cultural and intellectual responsibility.
In 1926, Renner was appointed director of the Printing Trade School of Munich and became co-founder and director of the Master School for German Printers. Between 1924 and 1927, he designed Futura for the Bauersche Giesserei in Frankfurt, under the direction of Georg Hartmann.
Renner’s legacy endures through Futura. His original drawings are preserved today at Bauer Types in Barcelona, linking the origins of the typeface to its continued development and contemporary use
BUYING OPTIONS
1. PICK UP YOUR FONT
2. CHOOSE LICENSE & USAGE
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE?
We can offer you custom tailored licenses according to your needs - broadcasting, corporate, server, gaming.
CONTACT US
