Purpose darts league 2013

The game of darts plays a central role in the culture of our studio, used to bring democracy to team tea making with daily ‘darts for tea’ play-offs. Each year we also hold a cross company darts competition.

The tournament sees staff competing in a series of weekly duels, battling to get their hands on the coveted Purpose darts trophy, handed down from years of previous champions. Having spent hours playing (and often losing at) darts for tea, our Designer Sean admired the wire numbers surrounding the dartboard, finding the physicality of the bent-wire and its ‘ugly yet beautiful’ feel very appealing. Purpose Darts League 2013 seemed the perfect opportunity for Sean to create a bespoke typeface inspired by this. The characters reflect the quirks of the wire numbers – a single monoline completes each character, accompanied by a ‘hanging-line’ wire further reflecting the dartboard. The single-minded colour palette of black and white also proved to be a cost-effective means of production.

To fuel the flames of competitiveness and banter within the studio, posters featuring the bespoke typeface were placed in and around the studio, in the lead up to and during the tournament. The final was held on 17 October, where Greg 'Geoff' Deacon beat Matt 'Persistent' Price – winning the title of Purpose darts champion.