Rumba Laura Meseguer
Rumba and PTL Skopex (below) are so different that I find it impossible to choose one over the other. Both were designed by a female graphic designer who has been around for a while — one in Barcelona, one in Berlin — without getting a lot of international exposure.
Rumba was originally Laura Meseguer's graduation project at the one-year Type + Media course of the Royal Academy in The Hague, and I've seen it grow and develop over the months and years. Knowing Laura's previous work at Type-Ø-Tones as well as her designs for print, I found it fascinating to see how she managed to reconcile the Hague insights (some call it a doctrine) with her own Latin sensibilities and idiosyncracies. The way the three-piece family is structured is pretty uncommon, too, and useful in its own weird way. All three members basically have the same weight and style, but have been designed to work best at different sizes and in slightly different contexts. Each version is a well-wrought mixture of usability and showmanship. Script faces are published at a dazzling rate nowadays; but Rumba is one of the most personal and most intelligent ones I've seen in a while. — Jan Middendorp
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PTL Skopex Andrea Tinnes
Available from primetype and MyFonts.
If Rumba suggests the hand-made and the organic, Skopex is almost on the other end of the spectrum. I say "almost" because Skopex doesn't have the blunt geometry of some contemporary text families that try to be cool; but it is essentially artificial, or as Peter Bilak would say, synthetic. Nevertheless, the serif/sans family was made with a typographer's eye for smooth and carefree reading. With the Gothic expecially, Andrea Tinnes achieved an overall text image that is quite original: it doen't emanate the late-modernist chill of a latter-day Helvetica or Akzidenz, nor does it try to be "warm" by conforming to the humanist model. If anything, it's close to some American gothics, but becomes more German as it gets bolder. An interesting hybrid. Skopex Serif has some characteristics of the semi-constructed Candida by Erbar; but it's more elegant and, as far as I can judge from showings so far, provides an interesting read. In larger sizes, its asymmetric serifs provide extra punch. As a sans/serif tandem, Skopex adds an interesting flavour to an area dominated by more "humanist" solutions. — Jan Middendorp
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Omnes Joshua Darden
Also available from Village.
I can't remember when I first fell in love with Omnes. Maybe it was around that time when I was comparing its quirky boldness to that of my other love, Cooper Black. Regardless of time specificity, it has been on my mind for a couple of years and with almost every new project I start I turn on Omnes to see if there is a glimmer of hope that I will be able to use it. I think, actually, it wasn't until this past year — when Joshua Darden released the droolingly sweet expanded set containing a range of thins a luscious Black, plus italics for all! — that I went head over heels. The italics truly stole my heart. If you can look at Omnes Black Italic and not feel joy, you have Yoohoo running through your veins and you should get that checked.
Omnes is chameleonesque. Last year we designed the identity for a non-profit organization devoted to fighting childhood obesity and we used Omnes for each kind of application and audience without missing a beat. Kids loved the Black Italic with a playful, thick, outer stroke, while adults responded positively to Omnes Light set in all uppercase, dignified and elegant. A few months later, the designer that sits next to me was in charge of designing an exhibit about fetishes for the Museum of Sex in New York. Omnes Black Italic is not only kid-friendly but unbelievably kinky, especially when set in hot magenta.
This is a perfectly rendered family that can evoke different feelings across its many members. If polygamy were legal, and if I weren't betrothed already, I would marry them all in an instant. — Armin Vit
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Paperback John Downer
House was robbed! I was shocked when the last installment of "Our Favorite Fonts" was published with John Downer's Paperback relegated to the honorable mentions at the end of the article. I didn't think that was right, so when picking a typeface to recommend this time around, I knew I had to put my mouth where my money is. Even before I got my tax refund back this year, I licensed the complete Paperback set for a personal book project.
When deciding whether Paperback would be right for the job, I took several factors into consideration. First, I looked at printed samples to see how well the fonts function in real-world conditions. House Industries' catalog is as luscious as an old ATF specimen inset. It was easy to see that this face looks superb in print. Paperback's handsome appearance is enhanced by a range of optical sizes, so everything from miniscule body copy to ginormous headlines looks clean and crisp. The roman exhibits a warmth that is absent from most faces following the same rationalist construction principles. It pairs surprisingly well with the italic, which is more closely tied to the calligraphic tradition.
My second major consideration was the availability of typographic niceties. Paperback delivers with ligatures, small caps, text figures, lining figures, tabular figures, fractions, nut fractions, an extended character set, and more — all rolled into the OpenType font format.
This versatile family met all my qualifications. It's appropriate for an array of projects, including my own family cookbook — coming soon in Paperback. — Paul Hunt
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Margie Script G. Marggraff, Dan X. Solo
Margie is a sexy, robust script that commands attention, a face that knows how to play a crowd. Wearing ball terminals and flauncy flourishes like big baubles and gauzy scarves, you might think she was compensating for a lack of substance. After all, you perhaps caught the adornments of her form before you actually read her content. But then you keep looking, and you notice the curious way she connects her strokes ('h', 'k', 'm', 'n', 'r', 'M', 'N') and you think, "Oh my, this is a complicated specimen, to be displayed judiciously, but certainly one to keep on my arm, and in my font case." — Anna Malsberger
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Eudald News Mário Feliciano
This is a new set of four additions to Mário Feliciano's previous interpretations of faces by the 18th Century Spanish punchcutter, Eudald Pradell. The fonts form a handsome quartet: diverse in scope, yet sufficiently tame for newspaper work. The series demonstrates a scholarly appreciation of contemporary readers' tastes in Spain & Portugal. In this sense, Feliciano has done his homework well, collecting and dissecting Eudald Pradell's output.
When creating italics, Pradell exercised a rather mature restraint for his day. Unlike other 18th-century Spanish punchcutters, Pradell paid less attention to flamboyance and individuality. By today's standards, his italics appear to be “more compatible spouses” for his roman cuts.
Feliciano's latest revivals further subdue Eudald Pradell's italics, as can be seen in the redrawing of 'v', 'w', 'x', and 'y', for example. Similar attempts at domesticating Pradell's italic characters were made by Feliciano for his Eudald Headline series, and will likely be made for his Eudald Fine series.
Supplying an adequate, but purposely limited, spectrum of appropriate newsface styles to newspaper designers was one of Feliciano's aims. In the Eudald News series, we see dramatic differences from one style to the next. We also see that Feliciano understands the things that help give a newspaper typographical sophistication. By letting the particular virtues of each font play out within the harmonious foursome, he has covered a lot of classical Iberian territory in terms of both eye appeal and historical sensitivity. — John Downer
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KLTF Tiptoe Karsten Lücke
Art directors today may be setting headlines in the thinnest of typefaces, but Karsten Lücke has never been one to follow conventions. An OpenType encoding theorist, independent type designer, and member of the Village collective, Karsten doesn't just design typefaces, he crafts them. His newest release has four family members, but its lightest weight is still bold. Big is beautiful. Why? It's in the curves.
Like his TDC2 Award winning KLTF Litterata, Tiptoe is subtly inspired by early blackletters. Just as scribes would fit more letters onto a page by breaking the curves on their strokes, Karsten tells the forms in Tiptoe who's boss. Instead of letting the curves themselves define weight growth, his unorthodox angles allow for more density without sacrificing letter integrity. The result is a heavy face with surprisingly open counters and increased legibility.
Tiptoe is a sans serif that handles the play between black and white marvelously. Its characters are a joy to look at, and an inspiration for everyone facing the task of designing really heavy type. Ready to buck the trend and show how beautiful big really is? Don't just take my word it; download a trial version. — Dan Reynolds
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Odile Sibylle Hagmann
Inspired by Dwiggins' 1937 experimental design — is a vibrant design, featuring intriguing interior lines and angles which create an interesting tension with the outer curves. The inventive serif structure, with alternating straight and bracketed serifs, and diverging top and bottom serifs, ensures that — while the typeface is perfectly suited for use in extended text — it is extremely attractive in display sizes.
Where the type family truly shines is in the Initials and especially the Deco Initials. Odile is definitely not some half-arsed "fun font" with curly bits all over. The initial caps have a perfectly balanced, interesting texture with carefully designed curves, which are contrasted with abruptly placed straight lines. Just the right amount of flair is added in the Initials, whereas the playful and intricate Deco Initials look like modern reinterpretations of medieval illuminated capitals.
The end result is a fascinating family of typefaces, informal and friendly, and full of delightful idiosyncrasies. It is steeped in love for the source material, respectful of its rich history. Yet the face isn't afraid to boldly look forward. Odile is an undeniably contemporary design, offering some much-needed vintage charm to counterbalance the tech blandness favoured by the current mainstream. — Yves Peters
Contains excerpts of Peters’ article "Anatomy Of A Typeface", Grafik Magazine, October 2006
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Palatino Sans Hermann Zapf and Akira Kobayashi
There are two old things about Palatino Sans. One general: that it's based on a venerable design, its serifed aunt. And one personal: that I first saw it during the TypeCon of 2004, becoming uncharacteristically giddy during the wait for its release. There are also two new things about Palatino Sans. One that it was in fact released recently. The other, which is the reason this review needs to be written at all, is that it's shockingly forward-looking. Even the typographically jaded, I feel, would be surprised to see such an effort, at least not by a large, mainstream foundry nominally intent on leveraging its legacy.
The confluence of competence, freedom and kiai (more on that below) evident in Palatino Sans is breathtaking. The sober organicity, the bravado of the raised 'r', the confident flair of the italic; all done before, but never in such a usable, contemporary whole. The texture of its setting is dynamic yet serene, reminiscent of a masterful exhibit of martial arts.
Officially, the brilliance of this effort is ascribed to the old master, Zapf. But I, for one, have to wonder whether this isn't essentially a product of Kobayashi instead, delivering a personal showing of bujutsu. — Hrant Papazian
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Freight Big and Display Joshua Darden
Also available from Garage Fonts.
Just as I received Stephen's invitation to write about our favorite fonts, I was iChatting with Josh Darden, who was just writing him to announce the release the expansion of his Freight family. So I think it's only fitting that I comment on it. This family is insane. Not only because of the 100 styles, but also because of its charming little quirks. The tail of the 'G', the italic 'i's, the delicious 'k'. While we move out of the era of the antiseptic sans serifs, Freight Sans offers refreshing anomalies that warm up the design. To sum it up in a few short sentences is impossible. It deserves thorough attention.
You don't need to know Josh personally to surmise that quite a bit of blood, sweat, and tears went into these fonts. And I'm sure they'll save the aforementioned bodily fluids of graphic designers who use Freight. Everything you could possibly want, in one tidy family. I told Josh, "get ready to get rich". I also told him I expect 10% of his profits. — Dyana Weissman
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Young Finesse Doyald Young
Also available from MyFonts.
Let me be clear about one thing — I think Doyald Young is one of the best lettering/type/logo artists of our time and I have a schoolboy's crush on his work, so I would adore this typeface no matter what. I'm not the right person to write anything fairly objective or unbiased, so I won't: I am in love with Young Finesse! The subtle slim calligraphic strokes is pure beauty.
Young Finesse has its roots in the cover lettering on Young's book "Fonts & Logos" and it took over 15 years to complete. Initially there was a bolder version in the works, but it looks like it didn't make it to the final release. Based on classic Roman proportions — like a modern, slim and gentle serifless version of Van Krimpen's Lutetia and clear references to Hermann Zapf's Optima — it transcends all references and takes it step further.
Inspired by the work of Arrighi, Palatino, and Tagliente, the italic is for me the most interesting of the two fonts in the family. The swash elements are not exaggerated but manage to flourish without being rigid. This is characteristic for Young's work — there is so much thought behind every beizer point and curve. It's not just type — it's intelligent type. — Peter Bruhn
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Esta Dino dos Santos
Also available from MyFonts.
Typographers often experience this moment: you see a "text" typeface that appears too quirky to ever be usable for setting body copy. But, upon seeing the specimen in print, you are pleasantly surprised with the face's stability and workmanship.
Esta is one of these. It possesses the characteristics of recent serif faces — like Fabiol, Delicato, and Relato — with a Mediterranean-Catalan twist. If Esta's warm and curvy teardrops don't win you over, its versatility will. Esta is economical and humble when set small, but its strokes and counterspaces can also dance beautifully — in a postmodernist sort of way, believe it or not — when set large. While Esta may not sit comfortably in a Leo Tolstoy novel, it can add life to many kinds of texts. — Bram Pityo
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Luxury Dino Sanchez and Christian Schwartz
Schwartzco Specimen, Original Promotion
The ideals of luxury items and exclusivity are inextricably linked to money. Luxury, by definition, is something that is inessential, a desireable item that is difficult or expensive to obtain. Thankfully, a life of luxury is now within out reach! No longer shall we slum it with Helvetica, fake it with Trajan, or be shamed by out-dated Optima. The Luxury Collection is made available and affordable to us lowly typographic peons and our budget-conscious clients by the style mongers at House Industries. Finally, those bereft of class will be able to catapult their design and typography into the upper echelons of haute couture with ease. — Kris Sowersby
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Deutsche Bahn
Christian Schwartz and Erik Spiekermann with Tal Leming
Proprietary commission. Not available for licensing.
This impressive comprehensive system of fonts was made for the German national rail system (Deutsche Bahn AG) and you can't buy it. The Garamond-inspired serif and sans family also has some WA Dwiggins influence, and that can only be a good thing. It has become the type system for signage, newspapers, magazines, schedules, advertising, internal office and any other conceivable use for one of the most efficient transportation entities in the world. This practical and well-considered type system was made to suit the many needs of the client and performs with utmost efficiency. It looks great too. — Richard Kegler
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Confetti Josep Patau
Also available from MyFonts.
These days, designers looking to emulate the quaint cursive lettering of any time between 1920 and 1950 invariably reach for Freehand 521. I don't blame them. There isn't much digital type from that era that isn't brushy or obvious. Confetti hits the market at just the right time, joining Signal, Loupot, Zigarre, and Coptek in a group of underexposed retro scripts. Patau's revival wisely widens the heavier weights so the thick stroke doesn't cause letter cloggage. Incidentally, these forms remind me a bit of the charming typewriter scripts that came a few years later, but Confetti is so much more usable. — Stephen Coles
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Amalia Nikola Djurek
PDF, Djurek's Page
On first viewing, Amalia presents an attractive tension between the deeply familiar and that agreeable tingly sense of nearly imperceptible novelty. Looking closely reveals a type family quietly breaking conventions of matching serifs, modes of contrast, and letter shape — all to good effect. Amalia is as masterful in its italic and small caps as in its roman. In fact, the italics are surprisingly pleasant to read.
With its classically Dutch set of proportions, Amalia feels open and approachable despite its Didone contrast usually associated with formality and authority. It also features a finely restrained but almost cheeky exuberance. Amalia is a breath of fresh air, deserving the attention of both type designers and users. — Eben Sorkin
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Honorary Nomination: Nonfont of 2006
Mayberry Steve Matteson
I think you need to lose your type design licence if you produce a font with the same "metrics" as an existing font. (Or we can just nominate you for the CompuGraphic Memorial Trophy for Derivative Type.) Sort of like PostScript Arial's matching the widths of PostScript Helvetica, Mayberry claims to "emulate the technical behavior of Tiresias".
Aficionados will know that Tiresias Screenfont — the variant referred to here — is the failed typeface used in the United Kingdom for captioning (not "subtitling", as they errantly call it). This extravagantly expensive font — up to $15K for a worldwide licence — still doesn't have an italic and is based on junk science. Seriously, they tested a screenfont for captioning by showing printouts to grannies through a closed-circuit monitor. (And they changed the font halfway through the test.)
So: a clone of Tiresias, or "the technical behavior" of it, is bad enough. But it's been done! Monotype has its own Tiresias clone, Tioga. Mayberry is a clone of a clone. And, from a design standpoint, they'd all be B-minus assignments in the second year at Reading.
Sorry. Deaf people deserve better than this. — Joe Clark
