Garamond Font Download Mac: The History Behind Apple's Iconic Typeface

For almost two decades, the Garamond font was virtually synonymous with Apple, playing a significant role in the company's excellent brand recognition. From Apple's advertising and marketing slogans like 'Think different' to the company name itself, the font was omnipresent. When accompanying the Apple logo, the text was always set in Apple Garamond, a custom variant of the classic ITC Garamond typeface.

In 1977, Tony Stan created the original ITC Garamond, which was later condensed by Bitstream to create a TrueType font for Apple. The resulting font, 'apgaram,' was used in most of Apple's marketing efforts. It's likely that Apple felt the existing ITC Garamond Condensed, at 64%, was too narrow and opted for a variation at 80% of its normal width.

The typeface has sometimes been mistakenly referred to as Cupertino, a similar bitmap font that may have been created to mimic Motter Tektura. In fact, Apple used Motter Tektura for the Apple II logo in addition to their new corporate font, Apple Garamond, introduced with the Macintosh in 1984.

The Apple logo was designed by Rob Janoff in 1976 while working at Regis McKenna in Palo Alto. The typeface was chosen for its playful qualities and techno look, aligning with Apple's mission to make high-technology accessible to everyone. The font merged well with the Apple logo, which featured a bite taken out of it.

Before the Macintosh era, Apple used Motter Tektura, designed by Otmar Motter in 1975, alongside their logo with a bite taken out of it. Since 2001, Apple has gradually shifted towards using Myriad in its marketing efforts, but the Garamond font remains an iconic part of Apple's history.

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