Greener type

Jan 20 2009

The Week in Type

Notice anything different? iLT has gone green. In addition I have a new masthead. For more than a year, one of my all-time favourite typefaces has graced the head of these pages; but it’s time for a change. I had given some thought to a complete redesign, but then I asked myself, why? So, I’ve chosen not to redesign just for the sake of it. Instead, I’ve made some relatively minor changes, including the menu at the very top, tweaks to the sidebar, and swapping out the red for a little green. Now who can name the typeface?

OK, on with the show. Let’s start out with some more green. This lovely poster from ColorCubic:

And this even more impressive piece:

ColorCubic is also on Flickr. You can buy a print here.
Via fudge graphics.

A little grid goodness, and the redesign of Unit Interactive:

unit interactive redesign

Well worth reading Unit’s blog post about the redesign.

Next up is a typeface that, when it was first released, I pretty much ignored. But after taking a closer look, thanks to Stephen Coles’ excellent review of FF Tisa, I’ve really warmed to it:

There’s also an extensive specimen on issu.com.

Greg Meadows has taken some more great found type photos. A walk through the boneyard gave us these:

Be sure to check out the others in the set.

Some interesting type experiments:

Type.fwis.com

Like this alphabet from Margus Tamm. Parasite Typography:

New typefaces

Great to see a new type from Jonathan Barnbrook and co. Inspired by those monster 19th century ad slabs, Regime has some lovely little quirks and a number of additional experimental characters and alternates (really like the alternate g and Q, in particular).

New from Sudtipos is Kewl Script:

And Sugar Pie, which grew out of an ‘italic’ version of the hugely popular Candy Script.

Be sure to take a look at the PDF specimens for both Kewl Script and Sugar Pie.

Ubiquitous typefaces often lose their edge; Gotham, despite its use everywhere and in just about everything, hasn’t. To me, it remains as good — if not better-looking — than it ever did. And what’s more, the Gotham family benefits from some new additions, including Narrow, Extra Narrow, and Condensed:

Some nice type treatments in this video (though it’s a little too long):

Tees from Magpie Studio:

Really like Peter Hoffmann’s GlasHaus:

The cover of today’s Sun Herald:

Via @RogerBlack & @FontBlog.

I’m keen to get my hands on a copy of the latest issue of How magazine. Stephen Coles writes on Cure for the Common Font:

An expanded version of the article will later appear on Typographica.
If someone from HOW is reading this, please contact me about getting hold of a copy in Japan.

As I approach my 40th birthday (ouch!) this is particularly poignant. Youth by Julien De Repentigny:

The outstanding paper-form lettering of Russian born Yulia Brodskaya:

Great 3D type, colour palette and texture in this poster from Mike Harpin:

If you read Japanese, then you’ll enjoy the latest issue of Web Designing. Not just because I wrote for it, but because the whole issue is devoted to typography.

Hicks Design has done a great job on the icons for FontExplorer Pro:

Read about the process on their blog.

Just love this 50s Chevrolet ad spread:

Thanks, Malin.

Some new and great pieces from Cristiana Couceiro:

I’m a huge fan. The Portuguese wonder is also on Flickr (as I’ve mentioned before).

New book

This one is at the top of my shopping list. Adrian Frutiger — typefaces: the complete works

Type & typography RSS feeds

Here are some recommended type-related RSS feeds. You can download the OPML file (save it, then import into your RSS reader of choice). I’ve heard some say that they struggle to keep up with the RSS feeds they presently subscribe to. But RSS is not about reading every single post. The strength of RSS is that, at a glance, you have all the titles of all the posts; you only need read those that pique your interest. If you believe there are others worthy of inclusion, then let me know in the comments. Remember, only type-related blogs.

And finally …

Will someone please correct this young lady on her misconceptions about Arial.

Coming up …

A brilliant article on diacritics by David Březina.

Paul

Another great This Week In Type!

I really liked the link to the redesign of the Unit Interactive and Peter Hoffmann’s GlasHaus.

Jan 20, 2009
Anthony James Bruno

Loving the new color!

Now if we can only get that favicon changed :)

Jan 20, 2009
Alec

Love the new masthead, Johno!

Any chance you’ll be translating your article in Web Designing into English?

Jan 20, 2009
Esben Thomsen

I really like the small stylesheet changes Johno, subtly and refreshing!

Jan 20, 2009
Stuart Thursby

Great roundup - especially a fan of Sugar Pie. Definitely going to take a bit to adjust to a more simpler masthead, though…

Jan 20, 2009
David Kaneda

Love the work from Cristiana Couceiro - excellent use of color.

Jan 20, 2009
johno

Thanks all.

Alec
Not sure that it will ever be available in English.

Stuart
It’s going to take me a while to get used to it.

Anthony
A major favicon redesign is planned for 2010. It might even be green :)

Jan 20, 2009
christapher

Another beautiful post with lots of great stuff to look at! Thanks!

My question is when are you going to post the last installment of the brief history of type?

Jan 20, 2009
LaurenMarie - Creative Curio

I want to visit The Boneyard! It would be sooo cool to see all those old Las Vegas signs. I might be going to my company’s sales convention in Vegas this year. One has to make appointments with the museum to get to the good stuff and I don’t think I’ll be able to keep one (supposed to be working afterall).

The illustrations from Yulia Brodskaya are beautiful! That paper manipulation technique is called quilling. Is it really paper in those illustrations, though?? It’s so perfect it almost looks 3D.

Maybe this will cheer you up as your b-day looms closer, Johno:

We have enough youth. How about a fountain of smart?

Congrats on the Web Designing article! Too bad I can’t actually read it. But a valuable contribution to the Japanese readership nonetheless, if this site is anything to say about your dedication to good design. Looking forward to the diacritics article!

Jan 20, 2009
Robert

Well I like the redesign so far but I got to be honest the green I am not 100% sold on, maybe its because I’ve just seen it red for so long. :) But I’m sure that it will grow on me. Anyway great post John, oh and the typeface in the new masthead is Skolar.

Jan 20, 2009
inspirationbit

The olive colour is quite refreshing, the new masthead is very pleasing, though it would take time for me to get used to its smaller size. Will you be keeping red in the comments area?

I’m very impressed by your proficiency in Japanese. Well done. It would be great if later you could post the English version of that article on iLT. How many sites did you review there?

I wonder if there is such a thing as Balzac age for men… ;) In any cases, it’s how young you feel, not how old you are, that counts.

Jan 21, 2009
Bedrich

Great article, refreshing change. My only suggestion would be to make the non-current links on the top navigation stand out a bit more, the light gray is a bit too close to the white background :)

Jan 21, 2009
alice

I am torn. The navigation at the top is very nicely done. I miss the extra large banner type. Olive green is great. But my favorite element of the website was the snazzy comment styling on the main page! The brackets {} that defied html/css standardization… I always came to this site for design inspiration and that always sent a jolt of creativity down my fingertips :)

Jan 21, 2009
Helge

I love your side, it is one of my favorite and I love your new head too, especially the type (skolar) you used. i’ve started using it as a new part of my own companies corporate design.
best regards

Jan 21, 2009
David Airey

I’m on the edge of my seat anticipating the major favicon redesign! ;)

You weren’t wrong when you said this post would be huge. Inspirational resource, Johno, as per usual. Thank you.

Jan 21, 2009
behindthepgoto

Oh me, oh my. Congrats on the new look, and thanks a lot for a very informative article. As for me I liked the new fonts from Sudtipos the most. A well-spent coffee break on my part, I must say. :)

Jan 21, 2009
johno

christapher
Part 5 of the type history series is still in draft. We’re on Sans now — a pretty big one, so I’ll probably split it into two articles. Anyway, not forgotten.

Lauren
Kind words. And quilling — a new one for me. Would love to try that.

Robert
I’m impressed! Yes, Skolar it is.

inspirationbit
Interesting timing: when I first read your comment, that’s exactly what I was thinking about. I’m not sure if I’ll keep the red for the comments formatting. Will try green, and see how it looks; else I’ll try to find an alternate match for the green at colorlovers.

Bedrich
Those menu items are a little light. Might try a darker grey. Thanks for your feedback.

Alice
Thanks. Several people have mailed me re bringing back the brackets. Perhaps they’ll start a petition ;) Well, they won’t be returning, but I’m pleased you liked them.

Helge
Would love to see how you’ve used Skolar.

David
Thanks. Pleased you enjoyed it. Time for me to catch up on your latest posts.

behindthepgoto
Welcome to iLT. Or is this just your first comment? Appreciate you taking the time to leave your thoughts.

Jan 21, 2009
behindthephoto

To johno: it is just my first comment. I must say I am now positively in love with Sugar Pie, and my credit card starts to jump in my hands :)

As for the green in comments, I think it is definitely worth a try. For the sake of a unified look. ;)

Jan 21, 2009
Sye

hey john, totally awesome as usual! um, the skolar link seems go straight back to this post…

Jan 21, 2009
johno

behindthepgoto
And green they are. I quite like it.

Sye
Thanks. Now fixed.

Jan 21, 2009
James

Beautiful typeface for the header. Just to let you know your old header still seems to be popping up on the ‘Free’ page! A quality article as usual as well, always an interesting read.

Jan 21, 2009
johno

James
Thanks. Yes, some pages, and numerous articles have their own mastheads. The one you see on the home page is the default one.

Here’s a very different one, for example. I started uploading my mastheads to Flickr; must update it.

Jan 21, 2009
inspirationbit

I like the olive green in the comments, John. Looks good, no need for looking for another colour combo.

I hope you’ll try a different styling for your dates/comment-link above the headline. I do like the styling for the Headline and byline, but the date part looks out of place for me, a bit on a rough side.

Jan 21, 2009
Stefano Picco

Great work, I like the new style :)

Jan 21, 2009
Bob Marchman

Ok John, I took the bullet and schooled her about Arial. Somehow even managed to eek in a Mad Max reference in the comment. I need to get out more often, me thinks…

Awesome post. Love Skolar for the header, too, BTW.

Jan 21, 2009
vladfr

Hi Johno,

Great! Green changes, I love ‘em. But you’ve taken down that big-type masthead, which I really think represented this site’s design. Anyway, never change the favicon, let it be a reminder of all things past.

The Arial thing is simply lol-esque. Bob, sorry if I didn’t use the proper words… it’s late at night and I’m sleepless :) Hope Arial lady won’t mind.

oh wow. the signature thing at the bottom is awesome. Congrats on the few very well-thought design changes.

Jan 21, 2009
Deb Pang Davis

One of my favorite roundups. Thank you.

I just bought Kewl Script a few days ago and playing around with it. Fun.

The GlasHaus - what a treat. Incredible work. Bookmarked that baby.

Love, love, love the acid, olive green. Just the perfect amount of yellow to keep it bright and fresh. And the dark grey pairing is just lovely. Sophisticated.

I miss the larger header and don’t. This is a lovely change, a different feel. It works.

Jan 22, 2009
Rachel

With the idea(even if weather patterns aren’t there yet)of spring coming up, a redesign seems like a good, fresh thing. I like the typeface you used, but the color seems a bit off to me, like I’m suddenly viewing the old red titling as colorblind. Perhaps a brighter green a bit might counteract that? Anyway, love your images and links for this week, as usual.

Jan 22, 2009
Helge

We’ve started using Skolar as bodycopy for our new internal brochure series about type history and for our next project book. david has done a great job so far. perhaps if david (greets to you) could make an greek and cyrillic version too, we would like to introduce this wonderful type as a secondary corporate typeface (for newsletters and the annual report) for one of our clients later on this year.

Jan 22, 2009
Pooja

Loved the 3D type poster !
The type experiments from http://type.fwis.com/ are indeed a great idea. Making a typeface every day, now that is some ambition.

Jan 22, 2009
Jeff

Loving the new fresh look and the subtle changes. I liked your previous design as well, but this one is growing on me. I think the reorganized sidebar is a big improvement and really cleans things up. Great read as always.

Jan 22, 2009
Jackie Apel

Hi -

I like your new look, and the green is an interesting experiment. However, it seemed to me a couple of days ago you had a neat new logo up there as well, with an italicized version of your ilt, in the red and black. I really liked that but don’t see it anywhere now. I liked the simple green with the black on a white background, and I think using red elsewhere would be nice as I think the red really did pop and make this site sort of bold and visual and was a type of branding for it, as well. Just my opinion! I think that it is good to experiment with different looks.

As a web designer, I can’t limit myself to one consistent look (for better or worse), as I am always trying to see what new things I can improve upon or come up with, so the website and colors are an evolving process. Maybe the same is true for your blog. Something I noticed recently on the Typophile site, was their new logo, which was contained inside of a red square, with an alternating “t” designed in several different unique typfaces. It was like an animated flash logo, that changed all the time. I have never seen that anyplace else, but I have to say it worked for the typography site quite well. I think this idea could work for your site too - and to some extent already you have used it by changing your masthead. Anyway, I think you should put your logo back up there at the top with the masthead.

Jan 23, 2009
Michael

A really “greener” font (not meaning the color) is Ecofont (http://www.ecofont.co.uk/) - beautiful font? useful font? thoughtful font?

Jan 23, 2009
Ivo

The Ecofont makes no sense. Every Light weight saves more ink and is much more readable.

Jan 23, 2009
johno

Deb
Good to see you. The green colour was borrowed from some illustrations by the author of the upcoming article on diacritics. Saw it, and immediately thought, that’s for iLT. Dropping the big type header was the hardest decision. However, I will from time to time continue to use alternate mastheads for articles.

Michael
I’m with Ivo on the so-called eco font. I laughed a lot when I first read about it. If one is really interested in saving ink, then one will simply print low res grey scale, or use a smaller type size. Additionally, it’s the images that eat up the ink; not the text. I’m all for saving scarce resources, but …

Jan 23, 2009
Harnish

Such a good post! I got to learn a lot!!!! Keep up the good work. I like your new green logo but I liked the older one more and if you can keep the older one somewhere in your archive for reference it would be great.

Jan 28, 2009
Melody

Margus Tamm’s alphabet is sweet & Yulia Brodskaya is pure awesome.

I’m so much a fan of the green masthead. I liked the red. It went with the whole “love” theme.

Jan 28, 2009
Josh

This site is one of my favorites! i really enjoyed this article and all of the inspiration I get from this website. I know of a website that shares ad revenue with writers and they encourage people to use creative typography in their articles, so there are some good examples there too. http://www.sayitaloud.com

Jan 30, 2009
mare

I love that Russian paper form
truly amazing
and I love your site too

Feb 6, 2009
Mike H

Yulia’s paper form lettering is amazing, and very beautiful.

Feb 14, 2009
ralph

the lettering on “quid est veritas” seems to have been made with the ‘tabletto’ template by mark-a; check his site at http://www.mark-a.nl; quite an impressive design though, do love it…

Feb 19, 2009