Volvo Centum is Dalton Maag's new typeface for Volvo

Summary

Volvo will celebrate its centennial in 2027 and the company is already starting to ramp up the celebrations. Last year saw the opening of the World of Volvo in Gothenburg, a vast circular timber structure designed by Scandinavian design specialists Henning Larsen.Volvo Centum typeface by Dalton Maag(Image credit: Volvo)2026 will see another significant design upheaval, albeit on a much smaller and less obvious scale. The arrival of a new brand typeface, Volvo Centum, manages to combine the company’s obvious love of modernist design with its obsessive pursuit of safety.The work of London-based type design studio Dalton Maag, the new typeface is designed ‘to improve readability, sharpen attention, and promote a calmer, safety-focused driving experience.’Dalton Maag's team developing the Volvo Centum typeface(Image credit: Volvo)Dalton Maag's team developing the Volvo Centum typeface(Image credit: Volvo)With so much information conveyed via screens – especially capacitive touch screens – legibility and clarity have become an essential component of a modern car’s HMI. Volvo Centum is a sans serif of exceptional clarity and simplicity, designed for what the company calls ‘glance-driven environments.’Dalton Maag's Volvo Centum typeface in use(Image credit: Volvo)The first car to be installed with Volvo Centum is the newly revised XC60 mid-size SUV and its upcoming all-new EX60 electric sibling. Over-the-air updates will then be used to roll out the typeface across millions of other cars.The newly refreshed Volvo XC60(Image credit: Volvo)Inside the XC60, the interface shows Volvo's close relationship with Google(Image credit: Volvo)If there’s been one criticism of Volvo in recent years, it’s that the company has off-loaded huge amounts of information and driver input onto a central touchscreen. Volvo was ahead of the curve in adopting Google’s Android in 2017 and were a key partner in the development of Android Auto. How this system dovetails with the new typeface remains ...