Hey there,

We just want to let you know that now you can download Areal for free!!

As some of you know, we initially designed Areal as a bespoke typeface for Are.na, to replace Arial, the typeface they had been using for almost 15 years. You can read more about our good intentions and design process here.

The response to this project was overwhelming, and many people asked for access to Areal early on, wanting to use it in their own projects. And we love the idea of Areal’s journey continuing in the hands of the community. When thinking about how to publish it, releasing it as a free font, free to download and free for everybody to use, felt like the only right way, given the history and soul of the project. So that’s whats happening today.

To celebrate the release, we put together a real (🙄) font download party in New York: a casual, bring-your-own-phone gathering of font loving spirits.

The party took place at Index in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. People could just take their phones (in case they brought them), scan the chip and download the font directly at the spot. There was also a self-appointed font whisperer who spent the evening explaining the difference between spacing and kerning to everyone. Interesting guy.

A big thank you to all of you who showed up.

For this project to come into existence, a whole bunch of stars really had to align. It’s serious, silly, necessary, unnecessary, all at the same time. We know it's beautiful? And we feel blessed to be able to make space for collaborations like this one from time to time.

We hope you enjoy using Areal!

Love,
Dinamo + Are.na