'Samsung Financial' was developed as the exclusive typeface for Samsung Financial Networks. Samsung Financial Networks, a joint brand of Samsung's financial companies including Samsung Life Insurance, Samsung Fire & Marine, Samsung Card, and Samsung Securities, was launched in 2022.
Samsung Financial was based on Samsung's proprietary typeface, Samsung Sans, but emphasized more rounded and geometric shapes. The lowercase letters were adopted as the base, reflecting the brand's soft and open attitude. The key consonant 'ㅅ' was designed to reflect the brand's identity of flexibility, allowing the shape to change naturally in space in the combination of 'ㅅ+a' and 'ㅅ+a' - an experimental move that is rarely seen in gothic typefaces.
Youth and flexibility were the keywords we focused on during the typeface design process. The skeleton was composed to break away from the square to create a lighthearted impression, while the shapes were inspired by the number 0 on banknotes to add a sense of trust inherent in a financial company. Each letter went through an elaborate checking process to ensure the shapes blended seamlessly, and the production period lasted about a year, from beading to finalization.
Rather than a dramatic change at first glance, Samsung Financial Services adds depth to its branding with subtle but clear differences. It's designed so that when you encounter the typeface in real-world media or advertisements, the shape of the 'a' reveals the brand's flexible identity. "The power of this small difference is the essence of typeface design," says Yongrak Park, Director of Fontrix, who led the project, "and we are very proud of the finished product."
