Planted

Planted is a producer of “plant-based meat from alternative proteins, focusing on the perfect bite with only natural ingredients and no additives.” Established in July 2019 and headquartered in Kemptthal near Zurich, the company currently distributes their products in Austria, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

In June 2022, Planted launched a fresh visual identity that makes bold use of VC Henrietta. Kyle Benson’s revival and extension of an uncredited phototype-era design is used in several styles from both the regular-wide and the newly added condensed widths. The Future Fonts release – at the time of writing still work in progress at v0.5 – can already be seen on the bilingual German-market website, the Instagram account, and in advertising. In some parts of the website, the typography is a little unpolished around the edges, with giant font sizes and too little margins, straight quotes, and potentially problematic color combos like green-on-purple text. Then again, this rough in-your-face look underpins the brand’s message that there are more important things to worry about, like animal welfare and saving the planet.

Coincidence has it that VC Henrietta was also chosen for the Berlin 2030 klimaneutral campaign which is likewise concerned with ecology and, like Planted, is quite visible in Berlin’s cityscape (see the billboard further below). On a personal note, and for full disclosure: I was my pleasure to provide Kyle of Very Cool with scans of the original Henrietta from a 1980s specimen (Stephen did so, too). It’s amazing to see the letterfoms come to new life just a couple of months later, in close proximity to the place where I made those scans, returning from Oakland, California, where Kyle is working on his interpretation.