Ikea couches turned into clever new font

Ikea has designed the “world’s comfiest font,” and it’s made entirely from sofas. To be clear, the letterforms aren’t composed of cushy real-world sofas; rather, they’re the product of digitally constructed sectionals born from Ikea’s new CAD sofa software.

A few months back, the Swedish retailer launched an online tool that allows customers to create their ideal sectional from lines including Vimle, Vallentuna, and Lidhult. People can arrange sofa modules into the design of their dreams—and let’s just say, people got creative.

Knowing a good marketing opportunity when it sees one, Ikea tapped UK-based design studio Proximity London to craft a typeface called Soffa Sans based on the isometric sofa designs coming out of the tool. The blocky sans serif typeface comprises artfully arranged sofa modules from the Vallentuna line, which give it a hard-edged, almost bitmap-like style.

Ikea

Each letter comes with its own specs. An “A”, for example, seats 10 people. Meanwhile, something like an “L” is going to be a little more snug. As Ikea describes the font: “Its modular form and relaxed letter-spacing make it one of the most versatile. [It’s] also available in life-size.”

You can download the font here, or play around with the tool to create your own take on the alphabet.