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I LOVE TYPOGRAPHY

Sunday type: shush, I’m kerning!

Brighton, Berlin, Le Monde

Well, it’s Sunday again, and how quickly this week has passed. I received numerous positive emails about the Type Terminology: Humanist article, and they all indicate that readers want to see more like them. The next in the series will cover Old Style. I’m in the process of researching and writing the other five parts to this series, so keep your eyes peeled and readers at the ready.

Today we have a number of interesting news items; the first of which is:

lemondejournalptf_sample3.gif

The Le Monde Journal PTF special offer is available through 30 November 2007 (only 20 days remaining). To celebrate the launch of Le Monde Journal PTF, clients can pay a special price of only € 168 (standard price at € 210). For six fonts of this quality, the special price is very special indeed. This is a very versatile face, looking great for titling through body text; and one that you will use for many years to come. It’s a modern-day classic, and a bargain — though most certainly not of the bargain basement type. If you can’t afford it, then raid your children’s piggy banks, look down the back of the sofa, go without food for a week; this one’s worth every Euro.

Karen Cheng

And talking of type design, here’s an audio plus slides of Karen Cheng’s lecture at ATypI (Association Typographique Internationale) in Brighton. Karen is perhaps best known for her book, Designing Type; and if you are or you have the slightest notion about designing type, then this book must find its way into your hands. If you are new to type design, then you will love this book. In fact, Alec Julien (of the So You Want to Create a Font series fame — viewed almost 60,000 times) has written a review that I’ll publish towards the end of this month. I’ve listened to the following three times (checking sound quality, of course).

http://www.ifilm.com/video/2911205

[If the video does not appear, then visit this link.]

Many thanks to the wonderful River Valley Technologies for their permission to use the video here. They have numerous great type- and design-related video and audio files hosted there. Another great series that’s worth checking out is Non–Latin Typeface Design.

web typography

wdn-logo1.gifFive Essential Composition Tools for Web Typography. Have you ever seen a web site so clear, logical, and exquisitely composed it made you stop in your tracks? Have you wondered how the designer achieved such a stunning and cohesive design? In this presentation, Kimberly Elam reveals the relationships between proportion, visual systems, composition and aesthetics. For more information on this event (to be held in Vancouver, from January 28), visit the Web Directions North Web Site. Japan is a little far from Vancouver, so if you get the opportunity to go, then please report back on Kimberly’s lecture.

teaching type

The Type Workshop has agreat set of images that demonstrates some of the fundamentals behind designing type. Well worth printing for reference:

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Boulton on type

Mark Boulton has just posted the slides and notes to his Better Typography lecture for the Web 2.0 Expo’ in Berlin. As usual, sound stuff; a great presentation covering the basic elements of good typography from structure and form to micro and macro typography. Bookmark this one for future reference.

Don’t letterspce the lowercase without reason

Kuka the robot calligrapher

If you’re a calligrapher, you might be a little nervous about this one: a robot programmed to pen the entire Martin Luther Bible. Why? Not sure really, but an interesting feat nonetheless. Wish I’d had one of these in High School. Thanks to the Ministry of Type for this story.

robot-type.jpg

And almost finally, if you’re a fan of free and of the handwritten grunge font, then you may well be partial to Ohelo De Boi. You can download it from Dafont. Thanks to Jo of Josweb for bringing this one to my attention. I’ve already used this (sparingly, of course) for a design project. Note: you may need to get your hands dirty, and do some manual kerning — but what better way to spend your Sunday afternoon. When your husband or wife asks, “What’s for dinner?”, you can shut them up with a, “shush, can’t you see I’m kerning!”

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And finally, finally, wherever you are and whatever you’re doing—kerning, gardening, playing with the kids—have a great Sunday.

previous: Subscripts: Smashing Free Fonts

next: Being Kind to Widows and Orphans

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