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Draft:Sofia Pro

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  • Comment: Grossly underreferenced.
    And where it is referenced, it's often referenced inappropriately. Consider this example: Its success is largely due to its adoption by many designers worldwide, as well as its use by several international companies in their communications. In 2024, Sofia Pro is used by more than 14 million daily users and appears on 70 billion web pages. Its Regular styles appear on over 7 billion web. The reference for this? I quote: Gourvat, Olivier (10 February 2025). "Reflexions about the new version of Sofia Pro". Olivier Gourvat Website. Retrieved 10 February 2025. So the reader is expected to believe that this "typeface" or "typeface family" (the lead can't decide) is on "70 billion web pages" because its creator says so.
    But it gets worse. Gourvat doesn't write this. Instead, he writes: in 2024 alone, more than 14 million daily users and over 70 billion web page* views relied on Sofia Pro. Sofia Pro Regular styles content on more than 7 billion web pages every day (* source : Adobe Fonts). So not web pages but web page views, over the space of a year, and (he says) according to "Adobe Fonts". -- Hoary (talk) 22:48, 26 June 2025 (UTC)
  • Comment: Medium, random blogs, Twitter, and YouTube are not reliable sources. Multiple paragraphs in the article are completely unsourced. C F A 💬 04:22, 4 August 2024 (UTC)
  • Comment: The only in-depth coverage appears to be the Papier Direkt article. asilvering (talk) 02:03, 12 April 2024 (UTC)
  • Comment: Some outstanding {{citation needed}} maintenance tags. Further, does "In the Mélenchon presidential campaign" deserve it's own section? It is the same size paragraph as the use cases listed in the ones before it. microbiologyMarcus [petri dish·growths] 14:37, 11 April 2024 (UTC)
Sofia Pro
CategorySans-serif
ClassificationGeometric
Designer(s)Olivier Gourvat
FoundryMostardesign Type Foundry (Vendor ID MOTF)
Date created2008-2009
Glyphs1425
VariationsSofia Pro Narrow
Sofia Pro Condensed
Sofia Pro Compact
Sofia Pro Soft
Sofia Rough
Lyft Pro
LLB Sofia Pro
Websitehttps://www.motyfo.com

Sofia Pro[a] is a sans-serif typeface designed by French type designer Olivier Gourvat[1] of Mostardesign Type Foundry in 2008 and 2009. The typeface family contains sixteen weights: Ultra Light, Extra Light, Light, Regular, Medium, Semi Bold, Bold, and Black, with corresponding italic versions. Designed for professional use, Sofia Pro is a large family with two widths, sixteen weights and a rounded version.

Companies that notably use the font are Pepsi, Warner Bros.,Tik Tok, Tim Hortons, ABC, Wayfair, Unilever and formerly in the logos of Museum of Sydney, Meridian Credit Union, Monday and Paris International Agricultural Show.

Creation and style

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Based on geometric shapes with a slightly contrasted stroke, Sofia Pro can be classified as a geometric sans-serif according to the Vox-Atypi classification, or as a humanist typeface according to the Thibaudeau classification. This typeface family is inspired by characters of the same classification as Futura, created in the 1920s-1930s by Renner, or the ITC Avant Garde designed in 1970 by Herb Lubalin.

The main characteristic of this typeface from other geometric sans-serifs lies in the less pronounced rhythm of the uppercase letters. They have been designed with a more homogeneous and regular witdth, giving words a less pronounced rhythm than other geometric typefaces. Another aesthetic feature that sets it apart from other geometric sans-serifs is the wide apertures of letters, which is much more pronounced, giving the typeface a modern appearance and distinguishing it from other existing geometric typefaces.[2]

Less common in geometric typefaces, a slightly higher x-height makes the readability of lowercase letters more evident when reading long paragraphs.

Published under the name Sofia, the typeface family was officially released on December 2009, by the current Mostardesign Type Foundry. Spacing and kerning were executed by Igino Marini.

A comparative image of the Regular style between the initial version created in 2009 and the redesigned version from 2012.
A comparative image of the Regular style between the initial version created in 2009 and the redesigned version from 2012.

In 2012, Gourvat released the OpenType version of Sofia Pro, making modifications to numerous glyphs as well as adding the Black weight. [3]The following year, he also created the condensed version. In 2014, a version with rounded terminals, Sofia Soft, was added.

Perception of Sofia Pro in the graphic design industry

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Although Sofia Pro is inspired by Futura, it stands out with its own identity and originality. Gourvat's approach in creating the font is widely recognized in the graphic design industry, which values the renewal of geometric sans-serif fonts and the freshness it brought, without copying the most popular fonts of the same style.[4]

Sofia Pro is particularly appreciated for its balance between neutrality and warmth, allowing it to seamlessly integrate into various visual contexts without compromising the main message.

This font family has gained popularity among designers and is used by several international companies in their communications. According to its designer, Olivier Gourvat, citing Adobe Fonts, the typeface was used in 2024 by over 14 million daily users, and its Regular styles appeared in content viewed on more than 70 billion web pages over the course of the year.[5]

Established typographic professionals, such as MyFonts [6]and Monotype, have repeatedly recognized Sofia Pro for its readability and modernity. The font owes its popularity to its widespread use by numerous international companies in their communication efforts.

Notable Usage

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Here are some notable examples identified by the foundry:

Sofia Pro was employed in the presentation of the 85th Oscars ceremony, hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and hosted by Seth MacFarlane. The ceremony was televised in the United States by ABC.[7] Various weights, including the Ultra Light weight, were used for the title in the television broadcast's graphics package, as well as for posters, presentation panels, and brochures featuring the nominated artists[8].

A custom typeface named Lyft Pro was developed in 2018 by Olivier Gourvat. It includes a unique Heavy weight and features modified glyphs tailored to Lyft's branding. The font is used across the company's mobile app, website, and billboard campaigns.[9][10]

Sofia Pro was also used in the TikTok mobile application developed by ByteDance between 2016 and 2022. for its communication on its mobile application and its advertising billboards. The brand used Sofia Pro as the primary font for titles, subtitles, text, and captions, utilizing both Sofia Pro Soft in combination with the regular version.[11] During 2023, TikTok replaced Sofia Pro with a font specially designed for its application called TikTok Sans. The reception of this new font remains divided.[12]

Since 2017, the Canadian restaurant chain Tim Hortons has embraced Sofia Pro for its new visual identity, This typeface is used as their primary typeface and used on its website, mobile application, signage, packaging, advertising billboards, and digital communication.[13]

In 2018, Pepsi utilized the Sofia Pro font family as its primary typeface during its official partnership with the UEFA Champions League. The global campaign “#LoveItLiveIt” featured visuals of top players (Leo Messi, Marcelo, Toni Kroos, Carli Lloyd, and Dele Alli) integrating the slogan “LOVE IT, LIVE IT” in all‑caps Sofia Pro Black. Pepsi also applied Sofia Pro across packaging, limited‑edition cans, and a multi‑country commercial.

Pepsi’s global brand guidelines[14][15], updated with contributions from designer Julia McGreevy, recommend Sofia Pro for headlines, subtitles, and point-of-sale communications to reflect the brand’s distinct visual identity. However, while Sofia Pro is part of Pepsi’s typographic system, no independent source explicitly confirms its specific use in the UEFA Champions League campaign.[16]

Usage in the wayfinding and signage of the city of Sydney
Usage in the wayfinding and signage of the city of Sydney

Sofia Pro has been adopted in several cultural, healthcare, and educational infrastructures in the city of Sydney, particularly for wayfinding and signage systems. Paired with a specific color code, this typeface is used in iconic locations such as the Museum of Sydney, the hospitals in Mudgee, Goulburn, and Maitland, the Walsh Bay Arts Centre, as well as on the Nihon University Newcastle Campus and Mosman High School. These facilities are spread across 11 key sites throughout the city.

During the 2022 French presidential elections, Jean-Luc Mélenchon used the Sofia Pro font for his official campaign posters as well as for his campaign website. Designed with Sofia Pro as the primary font, the slogan "Another world is possible," which supports the rhetoric developed by Mélenchon, is deliberately written in lowercase letters to convey a message of closeness and counter the revolutionary image often associated with him. Some French media outlets, such as BFMTV[17] and Ouest France[18], analyzed the poster, describing it as one of calming and a departure from previous posters.

In 2024, a customized version of Sofia Pro, called LLB Sofia Pro, was created for the rebranding of the National Bank of Liechtenstein. LLB Sofia Pro includes specific variations of lowercase letters. It is used as the main font on their mobile application, website, and throughout their entire IT system.[19]

Variants and languages

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Overview of styles for Sofia Pro regular width

Variants

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Sofia Pro underwent a major expansion in early 2025, expanding the family to four main variants: Normal, Narrow, Condensed, and Compact, for a total of 64 fonts. [20] Each variant is available as a variable font, allowing continuous adjustment of weight and, in some cases, width. This provides flexible options for adapting typography to various design contexts. The kerning and spacing were completed by Igino Marini.

In addition to these widely used variants, the family includes two complementary stylistic versions:

  •  Sofia Pro Soft (2014): a softened version characterized by rounded contours and a gentler, more naive aesthetic. It includes 8 fonts across 4 weights (Light, Regular, Medium, Bold), each with a corresponding italic.
  • Sofia Rough (2015): a textured reinterpretation of Sofia Pro, divided into two eroded subfamilies. It consists of 16 fonts designed for expressive or decorative use. This variant, however, remains less commonly used than the core styles.

Sofia Pro is widely adopted in editorial, institutional, and commercial contexts around the world, valued for its legibility, elegant neutrality, and strong adaptability across both print and digital media.[21]

Languages

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Sofia Pro covers 223 languages including Extended Latin, Cyrillic, Greek and Vietnamese. It contains 1425 glyphs with Mac OS Roman, Windows 1252 encoding characters.

References

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  1. ^ Olivier, Gourvat (13 December 2024). "Olivier Gourvat - Website". Olivier Gourvat Website. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  2. ^ Gourvat, Olivier (2024). Sofia Pro Specimen. France: Mostardesign Type Foundry (published December 2024). pp. 11–13. ISBN 978-2-9597314-0-2.
  3. ^ Gourvat, Olivier (December 2024). Sofia Pro Specimen. France: Mostardesign Type Foundry. pp. 3–4. ISBN 978-2-9597314-0-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  4. ^ "Free font freitag - Sofia Pro". Papier Direkt. 2 December 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  5. ^ Gourvat, Olivier (10 February 2025). "Reflexions about the new version of Sofia Pro". Olivier Gourvat Website. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  6. ^ Middendorp, Jan (14 November 2014). "My:Creative characters. The faces behind the fonts - Issue#87". MyFonts. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  7. ^ Bowland, Matthew D. "85th Academy Awards: The Recap". The Gold Knight - Latest Academy Awards news and insight. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  8. ^ Gourvat, Olivier (2025-05-18). "The Oscars – 85th Academy Awards program". Fonts In Use. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  9. ^ Although some sources have suggested that Lyft Pro may be based on Sofia Pro, no independent source has confirmed this derivation.
  10. ^ Mostardesign Type Foundry (2018). "Custom Fonts – Mostardesign". Retrieved 27 June 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ Spencer, Adam (2025-05-06). "TikTok". Fonts In Use. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  12. ^ Cavender, Elena (17 May 2023). "No, you're not imagining it: TikTok changed its font". Mashable. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  13. ^ Maynard, Maxime (12 August 2022). "Tim Hortons logo and branding". Fonts in use. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  14. ^ "Pepsi Global Brand Guidelines". Retrieved 27 June 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ This usage is supported by Pepsi's own brand guidelines, which specify Sofia Pro as the primary typeface for bold headlines and packaging; however, direct attribution to the UEFA campaign visuals requires citation from campaign‑specific materials.
  16. ^ McGreevy, Julia. "Pepsi Global Brand Refresh". Julia McGreevy Portfolio. Retrieved 27 June 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ Vasque, Perrine (15 March 2022). "Présidentielle: la nouvelle affiche officielle de campagne de Jean-Luc Mélenchon" (in French). Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  18. ^ Benech, Emile (17 March 2022). "Que révèlent les affiches des candidats à l'élection présidentielle ?". Ouest France (in French). Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  19. ^ "LLB-Gruppe: Mit neuer Marke selbstbewusst in die Zukunft". Liechtensteinische Landesbank. 18 September 2023.
  20. ^ Petzold, Dirk (April 2025). "Sofia Pro Font Family by Mostardesign (Upgrade)". We and the color.
  21. ^ Tidwell, Kim (27 May 2025). "Sofia Pro, Beloved by Designers, Brands, and the Internet, Gets a Major Expansion". Print Magazine. Retrieved 25 June 2025.

Bibliography

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Notes

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[1]


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  1. ^ Gourvat, Olivier (10 February 2025). "Reflexions about the new version of Sofia Pro". Olivier Gourvat Website. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
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