The first decade will soon be over without new Saab cars, but this doesn’t stop enthusiasts from cherishing the brand. One of the visual features that made Saab recognizable – especially in the last decade of its existence -was its carefully developed typographic system. Fonts were not an afterthought: they were central to Saab’s corporate identity, advertising strategy, and even dealer signage.
Saab Gill Sans – Saab’s corporate text face
Saab Cars deliberately chose Gill Sans for its advertising and corporate materials. This British humanist sans-serif, designed by Eric Gill in 1928 and rooted in Edward Johnston’s 1916 Underground Alphabet, brought a refined yet approachable tone to Saab’s communication.
Saab’s internal Wordmark Logotype guidelines explicitly state:
- “The model denomination should be written in the text in the Saab Gill Sans typeface.”
- “Saab Genuine Service should be written in the Saab Gill Sans typeface.”
- “If the body copy is 10 pt Saab Gill Sans, the web address is set in 9.5 pt Saab Gill Sans Bold.”
In other words, Gill Sans was the official body typeface across brochures, press ads, and model-line descriptions. It was so integrated that Saab distributed it internally under the label “Saab Gill Sans.”
Over time, Gill Sans became strongly paired with Saab in the eyes of enthusiasts. One graphic designer once summed it up perfectly:
“Saab makes me almost like Gill Sans. Saab makes Gill Sans sexy.”
The SAAB wordmark – not Gill Sans, but a bespoke grotesque
A common misconception is that the SAAB logo wordmark is simply Gill Sans Bold. It is not. The four letters were drawn as a bespoke mark, closest to Helvetica Neue Black/Heavy Extended or Bureau Grot Wide Black, with custom tweaks to the S curves and A apexes.
The key takeaway: the wordmark should always be treated as artwork, never retyped. When agencies needed it, they placed a vector file, not a typed word.
Signage standards – Helvetica Neue Extended
While brochures and ads relied on Gill Sans, Saab’s dealer and corporate signage used a different typographic system. Internal signage guidelines called for:
- Helvetica Neue Heavy Extended (primary, all caps)
- Helvetica Neue Thin Extended (secondary, for balance)
This choice gave dealer fascias and pylon signs their distinctive, wide sans-serif presence. It also differentiated retail environments from marketing collateral.
Advertising mechanics: how Saab locked type
From Saab’s own guideline pages, a few period-correct rules:
- Tagline lock-up: The “move your mind” slogan was placed offset under the wordmark, aligned visually to the bar of the “S.”
- Colors: The wordmark appeared only in white or gray (white preferred).
- Web address: Always “saab.com” (not “www”), set in bold Gill Sans, slightly smaller than the body copy.
- Model denomination: Presented in Gill Sans within the ad text block.
Examples in Saab Magazine around 2008 confirm this usage—Gill Sans for editorial and marketing copy, the custom SAAB wordmark for brand reinforcement.
Gill Sans vs Johnston: the Underground confusion
Because Gill Sans was inspired by Edward Johnston’s Underground lettering, many assume the London Underground used Gill Sans. It didn’t—it used Johnston (and later New Johnston). Gill Sans is a derivative, and Saab’s brand borrowed its humanist warmth rather than Johnston’s stricter geometry.
NEVS era: a break in typography
After NEVS took over Saab Automobile in 2012, the griffin disappeared and typography shifted. The NEVS logo adopted a clean neo-grotesque look, closer to Akzidenz-Grotesk, marking a visual departure from the Gill Sans + grotesque Saab system. Important note: these NEVS styles belong only to the post-Saab era and shouldn’t be mixed into classic Saab recreations.
File format update: OpenType replaces PostScript
Back in our original 2020 article, we advised: “Always use the PostScript font, not the TT version.” That was correct for the time. But since January 2023, Adobe no longer supports Type 1/PostScript fonts. Today, the safe choice is OpenType (.otf/.ttf).
If you still have old “Saab Gill Sans” Type 1 files, migrate to Gill Sans Nova (2015 refresh) or modern OpenType releases. They preserve the look but improve screen rendering and language support.
Practical recipes for enthusiasts and designers
- Period ad recreation (2006–2010): Body copy in Gill Sans, model line in Gill Sans, wordmark + “move your mind” as artwork, saab.com in Gill Sans Bold.
- Dealer signage: Helvetica Neue Heavy Extended (caps) with Thin Extended as secondary.
- Logo reconstruction: Start from Helvetica Neue Black Extended or Bureau Grot Wide Black, then tweak spacing to match factory proportions.
If licensing is an issue, Nimbus Sans Extended can substitute for Helvetica, and Gill Sans Nova replaces legacy Gill Sans.
Why Saab typography matters
Typography is a subtle but powerful part of Saab’s brand identity. Gill Sans gave warmth and clarity. The bespoke SAAB wordmark provided bold recognition. And Extended Helvetica signage offered scale and legibility. Together, they created a uniquely Saab mix: humanist, engineered, and distinctly Scandinavian.
