Co-op
Co-op was an original — the world’s first consumer cooperative, founded way back in 1844. Today it’s one of the UK’s leading supermarkets with nearly 2,400 stores and 5m-plus Members.
About
Co-op has always been right-on. It was founded on honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others, flags of principle it bears to this day. The company isn’t owned by fat cats, but by Members who each have a £1 share, along with a say in the business. This refreshing worldview was the starting point for Co-op’s new brand, unveiled in summer 2024.
Background
Co-op’s latest visual identity was overseen by London branding agency Someone. It takes the idea that each Member owns a piece of Co-op and runs with it. The famous Co-op symbol has been broken up into five recognisable ‘Membershapes’, which can be used as windows, holding devices, patterns or for storytelling. The system cascades down to all parts of the business: food, funeral care, insurance & legal services.
The brief
Someone commissioned F37® Foundry to create Co-op’s first-ever bespoke typeface to complement the new branding. Appropriately enough, we’ve gone big on CAPS so that Co-op can make some noise about the great things it’s involved in all over the UK.
We have given our Co-op brand world a whole new look this year and a fundamental part of our core brand assets is our very first Co-op bespoke headline typeface. The team at F37® helped to push the boundaries of what is possible by creating a beautiful, textured typeface that feels authentic, bold and above all Co-op! This was a truly collaborative process and the team at F37® worked seamlessly with our design agency and dedicated a huge amount of time and craft to create what is a magnificent typeface that gives our Co-op the opportunity to shout and be heard.
Gemma Kidd, Co-op, Head of Brand Design and Creative Services
Delivery
Co-op Headline is punchy and compelling. It’s a font that says it like it is. Designed in single-weight (condensed bold) its letterforms echo the famous logo in the curvature of the squircle-like corners and the angled cuts taken from the ‘c’ and the ‘p’.
There’s also a SVG version featuring a slightly grainy, ink-rolled texture, created using the letterpress equipment at London’s St Bride Library, the home of printing. Designed to be used BIG, this variant evokes the immediate, handmade aesthetic of protest placards and posters. It’s a nod to the admirable socially conscious activism of Co-op’s founding fathers.
