Font is an incredibly important building block for both brands and digital products. Not only does the right font create compelling visuals, but it can help to effectively communicate and resonate with users. This is exactly why SAP chose to design a proprietary font, aptly named “72,” that would elevate the user experience by being digitally native, accessible, and infused with the history of the brand.

In 2015, after coming up against technical constraints in using Arial as a system font, SAP decided to collaborate with typography experts at Monotype to design a font that would power its vast product suite. The result is the award-winning 72 font, designed to be optimized for digital products and built with a foundation of universal design.

The name ‘72’ refers to SAP’s founding in 1972. It highlights the innovative spirit that helped transform the scrappy start-up looking to revolutionize real-time computing into the ERP giant it is today. In addition to the hefty technical requirements needed to ensure the font was robust enough to power the digital products, the font was designed to align with key SAP brand characteristics, making it feel trustworthy, friendly, and modern. This is just one way in which SAP shows its commitment to creating software that is both beautiful and user-friendly.

72 is unique in that it was designed to be digitally native, meaning it’s optimized for use across the many mobile and web devices that power the SAP software ecosystem. Through a comprehensive design process, SAP worked with Monotype to meticulously craft manually pixel-aligned font styles, ensuring crisp display even on low-resolution screens.

Recognizing the need for specialized typographic tools, SAP recently expanded the Font 72 family to include several key styles and features, each designed to address specific aspects of SAP's UI design and functionality:

• 72 Monospaced: This style was created to give SAP's classic UI a fresh, modern look, ensuring that all products maintain consistent and cohesive typography. It enhances the user experience by providing a clean and uniform text appearance across applications.
• 72 Semi Bold: Introduced with the Horizon theme, 72 Semi Bold adds variety and improves the look and readability of SAP's interfaces. This style enhances user engagement by making text stand out without sacrificing readability.
• 72 Semi Bold Duplex: This unique style maintains the character widths of the regular weight while using the semi bold weight. This ensures the clarity of buttons and toolbars, making interactions intuitive and visually appealing. It bridges old and new design elements, improving the overall look and functionality of SAP applications.

There are more than 200 million users worldwide who interact with SAP products daily. Due to the scale of this user base, SAP has an obligation to make its software as accessible as possible for everyone. Two key areas in which the font underscores the importance of accessible and inclusive design are legibility and multilingual support.

The font has been fine-tuned to enhance readability and ensure each letter is distinctly recognizable—a critical detail that significantly impacts accessibility. For instance, distinguishing between a lowercase 'l' and an uppercase 'I' at a glance is effortless with Font 72, thanks to its precise design.

Additionally, to ensure the best possible experience for users world-wide, the font supports multiple languages and writing systems, and utilizes a fallback font option in the rare cases a font is not available. This expansion, driven by direct user feedback, enhances SAP’s global reach, allowing more users to interact with the software in their preferred language comfortably and seamlessly.

The latest evolution of the 72 font family is 72 Brand. This update not only unites the brand and product experience, but tailors each to the right setting. This commitment to quality typography is mirrored throughout SAP’s digital ecosystem. With the 72 Brand font, SAP unites, yet distinguishes between product interfaces and brand communication strategies. This unique variant of the Font 72 family is designed exclusively for branding, marketing, and non-product digital touchpoints. It includes design elements like angle cuts in certain characters that echo the SAP logo. With 72 and 72 Brand, SAP’s brand and product experiences are finally visually united across critical touchpoints like the marketing website, digital and print brand campaigns, and product interfaces.

Embedded within 72 is the story of SAP's journey and commitment to innovation. It's not just a set of characters; it's a reflection of the company’s values and dedication to creating inclusive and user-friendly experiences. As a font, it enhances every touchpoint across the user experience—from our marketing website and brand campaigns to our digital products and software—making every interaction with SAP clear, engaging, and memorable. And as a symbol, it serves as yet another way in which SAP is helping to make workforce software more accessible, delightful, and powerful for today’s businesses.