Gandhi bookstore gives typeface for free

[hrant]

Cristobal, there's another, sort of "secret" way that this project could be of benefit to typographic culture: please try to keep track of what people -who are not designers, especially not type designers- say (if anything) about that unorthodox sans-italic. It might be very revealing in terms of what's possible in the future.

hhp

[Nick Shinn]

There is some precedent for this sort of italic construction in a humanist sans, e.g. Auto, Sensibility, Ideal Sans, and of course Goudy Sans.

[hrant]

But do any of those have an italic with more serifs?

hhp

[Nick Shinn]

Offhand, I’m pretty sure they all do. That’s the big idea.

[hrant]

I don't know about counting Auto and Goudy Sans, but you're certainly right about Sensibility and Ideal Sans (clearly I haven't been paying enough attention).

So, do people complain?

hhp

[Nick Shinn]

People never complain about that sort of thing, they just don’t buy.
Sense has proven to be more popular than Sensibility, so far.
However, this site uses them both, but they seem to prefer Sense for Roman, and Sensibility’s italic:
http://www.youneedabudget.com/

[John Hudson]

I too favour a heavier look to text, but there is a particular aesthetic to typography of lighter faces that can be very pleasing if it is done well. Ideally, the paper should be creamy, not too white, and the linespacing carefully balanced to the internal whites of the lines of text. Digital Elektra printed offset is a good example of a light type that, with careful handling, can be both very attractive on the page and very readable.

[charles_e]

Digital Elektra printed offset is a good example of a light type that, with careful handling, can be both very attractive on the page and very readable.

Assuming you mean both Electra, and printed direct-to-plate, I rather disagree. Willing to investigate thought, so if you've got a title in mind, I'd like to take a look.

One of our customers adopted Electra as a core font, and I increased the weight a bit. But this was quite some time ago, with a (PostScript) repro > negative > plate workflow, and just the other day I was thinking it needed more weight with DTP.

Of course, I'm more or less trying to approach the feel of Marshall Lee's book...

Edit: usually printed offset on Nature Natural

Or maybe I'm just out of it, but I did do a search for Elektra...