The visual identity of Glass Animals' debut album, ZABA, is as distinct as its "jungle-pop" sound. While many fans search for a specific "ZABA font," the lettering is largely part of a custom collaboration between Boat Studio and illustrator Micah Lidberg . The Typography of ZABA
The typography on the ZABA album cover and promotional materials is characterized by all-caps, bold, sans-serif characters. According to design analyses from DOAKES PRODUCTIONS, the font was chosen to be clearly visible against Lidberg's intricate, wild jungle imagery.
Custom Design: The logo and album title are often considered custom work tailored to fit the organic, unconventional aesthetic of the band.
Closest Alternatives: Designers often point to bold, geometric sans-serifs as close matches. On typography forums like dafont.com, users seeking to replicate the look often use: Futura Extra Bold Gotham Black Gill Sans Ultra Bold The Collaborative Art Style
The artwork itself was a massive project involving Boat Studio, She Was Only, and Micah Lidberg
. Lidberg’s illustrations feature a surreal "dream-jungle" filled with tigers, exotic birds, and tropical fruits, which mirrors the "wild" electronic soundscapes of tracks like Gooey and Hazey. glass animals zaba font
This synergy between the bold, modern type and the dense, hand-drawn background helped establish the band's early iconography. The same aesthetic was later extended to special releases, such as the zoetrope vinyl reissue, where the illustrations and text come to life as the record spins. CD Analysis - DOAKES PRODUCTIONS A2 MEDIA
Designing a guide for the Glass Animals aesthetic requires a mix of tropical typography, botanical illustrations, and a specific "neon-jungle" color palette.
While the band hasn't released an "official" font name for the era, the lettering is a custom-designed serif with distinct psychedelic and art-nouveau influences. 1. Identifying the Typography
wordmark is characterized by high-contrast strokes, rounded terminals, and "liquid" curves. To replicate this look, look for Psychedelic Serifs Art Nouveau Closest Matches: "Glass Animals" Font: Often identified as a modified version of Abbey Road "ZABA" Font: Very similar to . It features heavy "thorns" and teardrop terminals. Modern Alternatives: Belladonna: Captures the sharp yet flowy botanical vibe. A refined serif with the same high-fashion jungle feel. Nimbus Roman No. 9: For a more classic, "encyclopedia of jungle animals" look. Color Palette The album’s visual identity relies on Deep Jungle Tones contrasted with Electric Neons Primary Greens: Forest Green (#0B2414), Deep Teal (#053D38). Pop Accents:
Gold/Mustard (#D4AF37), Tropical Pink (#FF3E7F), and Electric Blue (#00AEEF). Backgrounds: The visual identity of Glass Animals' debut album,
Use dark, desaturated charcoals or deep purples to make the typography "glow." 3. Layout & Graphic Elements
To make your guide feel authentic to the 2014 era, incorporate these design elements: Botanical Framing:
Use illustrations of Monstera leaves, cocoa pods, and palm fronds. The artwork often "tucks" the text behind the leaves to create depth. The "Shadow" Effect:
text often features a subtle, glowing drop shadow or a multi-layered offset (e.g., a pink layer slightly shifted behind a gold layer). Gold Foil Textures:
If you are designing digitally, apply a metallic gold texture to the main serif headers to mimic the physical vinyl packaging. 4. Implementation Tips Kerning (Letter Spacing): wide tracking Why You Can’t Download the "Official" Zaba Font
. Spacing out the letters gives it an airy, mysterious, and premium feel. Distortion:
Use a "Warp" or "Liquid" tool in your design software to slightly curve the stems of the letters, making them look organic rather than digital. Are you looking to recreate a specific tour poster style, or are you designing social media graphics inspired by the album?
Here is the hard truth for designers: There is no downloadable "Glass Animals Zaba font."
The typography was almost certainly custom-drawn for the album artwork by the band's creative team (Micah “Mighty” Bickham and Dave Bayley himself have been known to handle visual art). Because it is not a commercial typeface, you cannot install it on your computer.
If you find a website offering a file called "Zaba Font.ttf," it is either:
The font alone isn’t enough. Zaba typography is almost always presented in:
#0B1B1A)#11140C)#F2E8CF) for contrastTungsten is the opposite of a serif—it is a compressed sans-serif. However, it captures the vertical, towering energy of the Zaba type. It feels industrial and organic at the same time.