ORF1 – Eins Sans

ORF1 (former FS1) has been Austrias number one TV channel since 1961. The mission of ORF 1 is simple: Broadcasting quality TV content for everyone. It was time for a new and confident take on a television identity based on new values and a clear vision. The main design principles are courage, clarity, versatility and zeitgeist. As part of their new identity, ORF1 ordered a bespoke type family that would cover all their applications, from print, screen, broadcasting and physical manifestations of their new look.

The result is Eins Sans. A sans-serif workhorse containing 6 weights, with over 600 character in each weight. It was essential that the typeface covered all their needs, ranging from outdated broadcasting software, different formats and a wide language and character support. It's natural that one of Europe's largest TV-channels need a typeface that is optimised for screens. A characterstic feature of the Eins Sans typeface is the flattening of the conjunction between round, straight and angled shapes. These 'ink-blocks' ensures optimized performance and legibility in small sizes, and gives a lot of identity in display settings. In addition, Eins Sans is recognised by its broad and squared horisontal strokes, as seen in the a, f, t, r & j – a feature that gives identity, and at the same time increases the white space between dense character combinations.