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Show and tell for designers
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9 Responses
Pro
Thomas Jockin
Decided, for a summer project, to build out a text typeface for personal use.
I was looking at Times, Georgia, Hoefler Text for reference and comparison.
Comments and/or critiques are welcome!
about 1 year ago
Pro
James Puckett
“…Times, Georgia, Hoefler Text…”
Needs fewer references and a stronger concept.
about 1 year ago
The biggest challenge! Looking fwd to seeing more!
about 1 year ago
Pro
Jean François Porchez
Needs historical references rather than contemporary references.
about 1 year ago
Pro
Thomas Jockin
@Typofonderie + ZeCraft Why? Would referencing Granjon, Kis, and Austin make for a better project by default? I'm not so sure about that.
Times, Hoefler Text, and Georgia are considered "readable" text typefaces. I would agree, if you look these typefaces, you'll end up looking back to "historical" sources -- but taste and technology have a way of morphing things. Why wouldn't it make sense to review this phenomena?
12 months ago
Pro
Jean François Porchez
@Thomas Jockin (sorry for late reply) I think, that the quality of your shapes will gain a lot by looking carefully to historical sources, even not their contemporary interpretation. The best way to find our way as typeface designer is to built our own unique history, roots, unique reference, based on a melting pot of elements. Avoiding looking too deeply today typefaces is a fundamental attitude to keep a certain fresh eye and vision. References should be always indirect and built from an internal maturation.
12 months ago
Pro
Thomas Jockin
@Typofonderie + ZeCraft
No stress about the late reply (we're busy people after all!)
I would agree the most important, and hardest, skill a designer has to learn is to create their own unique narrative.
Putting aside the issue of the particular design I dribbbled ( I agree it needs a clearer voice -- I tend to take a very long time to articulate when I work solo, as seen in my Ductus project) I just wonder about the default praising of pre-1950's type history sources... it assumes a kind of bankruptcy of ideas in design that I'm not really confidant in agreeing with.
Couldn't we say Fournier worked in response to his predecessors, and so on and so forth? If we agree that is true for Austin, Kís, Fournier, and all the rest of the great designers, how does that exempt later typeface designers like Carter, Hoefler, Schwartz, just because they are still alive and working? I would agree, looking at post 1950's design demands a more rigorous/ critical review than looking at Fournier -- You have to see how they interpreted their historical sources. You can't just take a superficial glance at it and expect to get anything worthwhile.
A superficial glance of a sources is not productive at all, regardless of one's sources. However, it just seems like a pass is given for a certain time period of sources and condemnation is immediately places on other time periods.
History is like a road; it orients you from the past, and directs your future. We build our history, brick by brick, with our inspirations, sources, and narratives we create from the past. I hear a lot about type design being unoriginal today; But how can that be surprising if we are all sloppily laying down the same "bricks" of history on our roads?
12 months ago
Pro
Sye Robertson
One practical reason to avoid or limit contemporary sources as inspiration is lawsuits. I do agree with you though in that it seems designers from the past responded to and were inspired by their contemporaries. Also, the market. Market forces are another factor to consider. In reading some of Adrian Frutiger - Typefaces, it has struck me how many of his great designs were created out of conditions where his client wanted something that reflected the current market. He then had to meet their expectations, while also being distinct enough from the competition so that his typefaces were viable financially. Well, that's how I interpret it.
12 months ago
Pro
Jean François Porchez
I like your replies! @Thomas Jockin @Sye Robertson
1. "History is like a road; it orients you from the past, and directs your future. We build our history, brick by brick, with our inspirations, sources, and narratives we create from the past."
2. "In reading some of Adrian Frutiger - Typefaces, it has struck me how many of his great designs were created out of conditions where his client wanted something that reflected the current market. "
We need to take distance with our ancestors, time and methods, different technics… to be able to transform influences into a personal vision. There is probably more distance between Fournier and Garamond, Kis, Austin than there is between Carter, Hoefler, Schwartz… recall that at the time to move to a another city to meet someone, you need weeks, not just few second as today.
11 months ago