---
title: "Johnston (1916) — Edward Johnston"
description: "Johnston was designed by Edward Johnston in 1916. What it signals, where you have seen it, and how to tell it from Gill Sans."
url: https://atoneplace.net/font/johnston/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Johnston

**Johnston: Edward Johnston, 1916**

Sans-serif · London. Specifically and only London.

Commissioned by Frank Pick for the Underground and still in use over a century later, which makes it one of the longest-continuously-used corporate typefaces in existence. Its diamond-shaped dots over the i and j are the giveaway. Eric Gill was Johnston's student and assisted on it, which is why Gill Sans looks the way it does.

## How to tell it apart

| Mistaken for | Which letters to check |
| --- | --- |
| Gill Sans | Johnston has diamond-shaped tittles over i and j; Gill Sans has round ones. Gill Sans is also slightly more humanist in its lowercase a. |

## The facts

- **Designed by:** Edward Johnston
- **Released:** 1916
- **Classification:** Sans-serif
- **What it signals now:** London. Specifically and only London.

## Where you have seen it

- Every sign on the London Underground since 1916

> This page describes the typeface rather than showing it. Displaying a specimen requires a licensed font file and almost none of these may be redistributed, so the descriptions name the letters to look at instead.

## Common questions

### Who designed Johnston?

Edward Johnston, in 1916.

### What is Johnston used for?

London. Specifically and only London. You will have seen it on Every sign on the London Underground since 1916.

### What is the difference between Johnston and Gill Sans?

Johnston has diamond-shaped tittles over i and j; Gill Sans has round ones. Gill Sans is also slightly more humanist in its lowercase a.

## Related pages

- [Gill Sans](https://atoneplace.net/font/gill-sans/)
- [Typefaces from the 1910s](https://atoneplace.net/font/decade/1910s/)
- [Akzidenz-Grotesk](https://atoneplace.net/font/akzidenz-grotesk/)
- [Franklin Gothic](https://atoneplace.net/font/franklin-gothic/)
- [Futura](https://atoneplace.net/font/futura/)
- [Gill Sans](https://atoneplace.net/font/gill-sans/)
- [Helvetica](https://atoneplace.net/font/helvetica/)
- [Univers](https://atoneplace.net/font/univers/)
- [Optima](https://atoneplace.net/font/optima/)
- [Eurostile](https://atoneplace.net/font/eurostile/)

## Sources

- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)