The Weekly Typographic

This week we’re looking at some interesting and beautiful examples of concept and experimental work, checking out a potential new trend in cookbook design and bookmarking a useful overview of how some of the most popular modern typefaces came into existence. We’re also busy planning for the next workshop, make sure you keep your eyes peeled for more information - coming soon

Gosh! So much type and design news this week! We’re talking brand new fonts with big launches, a great type-collation project that captures the stories behind Latin American typefaces, Microsoft’s search for their new default font, and a brand-gone-bad. Phew.

But wait, there's more! There’s been a big move in the type-classification world as ATypI has decided to stop using the Vox-ATypI classification. Hear more about this, and what it means, in this week's Nerd Alert...

If you're in need of some visual inspiration this week, fear not, as we've got you covered. We're talking about a website that categorizes fonts by their personality traits, a tool that turns your typing into colors and shapes, a lettering project inspired by architecture, and the political history of the Windsor typeface. PLUS another nerdy Nerd Alert... this week all about version control and Git for type designers

We're feeling trendy this week. Monotype have released their type trend report so we dive into that, share a hot article about ink traps, and discuss an opinion piece about the formulaic approach to blanding. To top all of that off, there's also a handy guide to some of the technical details of working with web fonts. PLUS another nerdy Nerd Alert... this week all about the magic of open source.

What the hex, perfectionism, an anti-bullying font + more

We’re fresh off the back of our Drawing Letterforms workshops last weekend, and ready to share some new articles and nerdy goodness with you. This week we’re keeping on the theme of drawing letterforms with a guide to creating experimental letterforms for posters, plus how to overcome the perfectionism that often haunts us as designers. We’ve also learnt about a very cool font that is fighting online bullying.

And this week's nerdiness is all about… Hex codes. What might look like a random string of letters and numbers, actually all mean something. Olivia will be teaching you how to speak Hex in this week’s Nerd Alert on the podcast.

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Drawing letterforms, beautiful alphabets and fixing font size

This week we're getting nerrrrdy. Not just in Nerd Alert, which is all about creating contrast in letterforms through translation and expansion, but in our articles too. We're finding out about the influential work of Gerrit Noordzij, looking at alternative ways of allocating sizes to fonts and admiring some beautiful 20th century alphabet samples. Let's get into it!

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Last week we took a trip around the world, and this week, we're taking a trip through history. From the evolution of the asterisk (who knew it has had so many existential crises throughout its long life) through to the historically-influenced new Renault logo. Plus, some articles from the modern times involving choosing fonts that give the right feeling, raising the standard of free fonts and... Justin Bieber. Which we're going to admit, is a name we did not expect to be talking about in this newsletter. PLUS a Nerd Alert all about the history of drop caps...

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Wow, this edition goes everywhere. From font-based Pokémon hunting in Minnesota (you read that right), to a DC Courtroom where they're banned a particular font being used in briefing documents, through to watchmaking studios around the world. Phew. There's also an article that proposes a way of standardizing the weights of fonts, creating more consistency across the world of typefaces and finally, a neat little guide to using your type choices to inform your other design decisions. Spoiler alert: it's all in the details.

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What a party this week! After last week's interview with Tré Seals of Vocal Type, we had a couple of links we were hungry to share — a good meaty take on the science of design, some system font news, a little insight into the journey of a letterer, and some pretty interesting perspectives on moral perspectives seeping into licensing. Let's go....

Weekly Typographic Newsletter Links

This week, we've got an interview with one of the best, most down-to-earth & talented type designers we know. Tré Seals is the founder of the very popular Vocal Type Co., whose mission is to highlight stories of underrepresented groups of people through their catalogue of historically-inspired typefaces. We chatted all about how he started building his portfolio/career/client list from the ground up, his life-long love of typography, and some of his big plans moving forward. Stay tuned until the end for a special announcement regarding an upcoming collaboration.