If you wanted to design with symbols 16 years ago, there was no way around one typeface: Zapf Dingbats was the measure of all things, because its pre-installation on almost every computer as a system font. The problem was, that the contained symbols weren't contemporary, even for its time. After publishing the FF Care Pack that consisted of shipping and packing warning signs, designer Johannes Erler was a good candidate for creating a modern alternative to the top dog of pictograms. The requirements were clear: the new typeface should be significantly more extensive and more more practical and above all be more zeitgeisty. Erler did it together with Olaf Stein: the FF Dingbats was a huge success since from start and took up its station in international communication design.

But the face of the tech world has changed significantly since the early '90s. Floppy disks and cassette tapes have gone the way of the dinosaurs. Energy saving lamps are replacing the good old bulbs. So Johannes Erler took the help from his friend Henning Skibbe and have revisited FF Dingbats, redesigning it for the new modern age of flat panels and iPhones®. For FF Dingbats 2.0 they left out obsolete and unrelated design vocabulary, filling in the gaps, improved the family's structure and above all added symbols that fulfill the technical advancement.

Along with the standard basic shapes and office iconography, FF Dingbats 2.0 includes updated versions of the human forms that made the original FF Dingbats famous.

The form and finish of the pictograms is now consistent with today's stylistic vocabulary. Arrow and number fonts have been reworked and extended. The family is about 45% bigger and contains 12 instead of the original 8. All symbols have been sorted into clear categories and the font "strong Forms" font includes the most needed symbols with simpler, bolder lines for smaller settings. Also new in 2.0: quickly add color fills via an OpenType-powered layering feature. All this makes FF Dingbats 2.0 a state-of-the-art font package again and the largest collection of contemporary symbols and icons for office communication.

You will find this story and much more information on the newest FontShop Microsite FFDingbatsFont.com. It even includes a free font.

The OpenType layer feature makes it easy to colorize the Dingbats. See how it works.

Download the FF Dingbats 2.0 Booklet which tells the story of how FF Dingbats 2.0 evolved from the original release to account for modern styles and technology.