# Play font

> A squared-off sans by Jonas Hecksher whose letters all grow from one rounded-rectangle O, in Regular and Bold.

Play is a sans serif typeface by Jonas Hecksher in which every letter is derived from an O that is square and round at once. Play has two weights, Regular and Bold, without italics, and its 1,100 glyphs cover Latin, Cyrillic, Greek and Vietnamese. Play is released under the SIL Open Font License 1.1 and suits interfaces and tech branding.

## Facts

- Classification: [Sans Serif](https://trendhub.net/fonts/category/sans-serif)
- Designed by: Jonas Hecksher
- License: SIL Open Font License 1.1 (https://openfontlicense.org/open-font-license-official-text/)
- Styles: 2 (Regular 400, Bold 700)
- Variable font: No
- Glyphs: 1100
- Character sets: cyrillic, cyrillic-ext, greek, latin, latin-ext, vietnamese
- Last updated: 2025-09-10
- Official source: https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Play
- Page: https://trendhub.net/fonts/play
- Tagged for: Headlines, Interfaces, Branding, Tech

## About Play

Play is a sans serif typeface built on a single idea: the O is a rectangle with generously rounded corners, and the other letters take their curves from it. The result is a row of flat-sided bowls in b, d, p, q, c and e, with large open counters and a tall lowercase. Jonas Hecksher designed it while he was type director at the Playtype foundry, aiming for a tone that is corporate but friendly. The family is small, with Regular 400 and Bold 700 and no italics, and it is not a variable font. Language coverage is much wider than the weight range: 1,100 glyphs span Latin, Latin Extended, Cyrillic, Greek and Vietnamese, and the name table credits Cyreal with the Cyrillic expansion. Play is published under the SIL Open Font License 1.1.

## License

SIL Open Font License 1.1. Copyright (c) 2011, Jonas Hecksher, Playtypes, e-types AS (lasse@e-types.com), with Reserved Font Name 'Play', 'Playtype', 'Playtype Sans'.

Allowed:
- Use the fonts in personal and commercial work, in print, on the web and in apps.
- Modify the fonts and build new versions from them.
- Redistribute the fonts, on their own or bundled with software, as long as the license text and copyright notice go with them.

Conditions:
- The fonts cannot be sold by themselves.
- A modified version must stay under the same license and cannot use a Reserved Font Name without the copyright holder's permission.
- The authors' names cannot be used to promote a modified version without permission.

Summary only, not legal advice. Full text: https://openfontlicense.org/open-font-license-official-text/

## Where it works

- **Software and device interfaces**: Open counters and a tall lowercase keep labels legible, and the squared curves sit naturally beside rectangular buttons and panels.
- **Technology and gaming brands**: Flat-sided round letters give a wordmark an engineered tone that still reads as friendly.
- **Dashboards in several scripts**: Latin, Cyrillic and Greek share the same squared construction, so mixed-language screens look consistent.
- **Section headings and navigation**: Bold 700 provides a clear step up from Regular for menus, tabs and titles.

## Things to know

- **No italics**: Play has two upright styles only. Emphasis within text has to use Bold or another device.
- **Two static weights**: The package holds Play-Regular and Play-Bold as separate TTF files. There is no variable version.
- **Wide script coverage for a small family**: 1,100 glyphs cover the cyrillic, cyrillic-ext, greek, latin, latin-ext and vietnamese subsets.

## FAQs

### Is Play free for commercial use?

Yes. Play is licensed under the SIL Open Font License 1.1, so it can be used in personal and commercial projects, modified and redistributed. The fonts cannot be sold on their own, and a modified version keeps the same license and may not use the Reserved Font Name Play without permission.

### Who designed Play?

Jonas Hecksher designed Play while serving as type director at the Playtype foundry. The name table credits Cyreal with the Cyrillic expansion.

### How many weights does Play have?

Play has two weights, Regular 400 and Bold 700. There are no italics, and Play is not a variable font.

### Does Play support Cyrillic and Greek?

Yes. Play includes the letters needed for Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian and Greek alongside its Latin and Vietnamese character sets.

### Is Play a good font for user interfaces?

Play was drawn with large open counters and a tall lowercase for legibility, which suits interface labels. Its two weights and missing italics limit it for long documents.

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Source: https://trendhub.net/fonts/play (trendhub)
