Aardman Animations selected a local designer to create Buttered Crumpet, a custom typeface intended to serve as the consistent visual signature for the Wallace & Gromit franchise across digital and physical platforms. This move standardizes the brand's voice as the characters enter their next phase of creative projects.
According to the case study published by jamieclarketype.com, the design process began by referencing the warm, established aesthetics found in Oswald Cooper’s original drawings for Cooper Black. The team sought a foundation that felt familiar while allowing for modern application across various mediums.
The final design evolved into a low-contrast style emphasizing a deliberately hand-crafted appearance intended to reflect the tactile nature of stop-motion animation. Each glyph was meticulously shaped to achieve an expressive yet balanced look suitable for extended reading and display use.
One distinctive feature noted in the design documentation is the incorporation of serifs styled to resemble loaves of bread, a subtle homage to the iconic culinary preferences of Wallace. This detail anchors the typeface firmly within the established, playful universe of the characters.
Buttered Crumpet currently ships as a single, carefully refined weight but includes over 200 characters to support all Western European languages. The structure is reportedly built to allow for seamless expansion into additional weights or styles in the future.
The designer, being based in Bristol, expressed satisfaction in creating a lasting typographical connection with Aardman, one of the city’s most significant creative institutions. This project highlights the growing trend of major entertainment properties investing in bespoke typographic systems for brand integrity.
This strategic investment in custom typography ensures that promotional materials, packaging, and future digital interfaces maintain a unified, charming aesthetic. It represents a deliberate effort to control and enhance brand recognition through foundational design elements.
