Would you want this for free?

[kris]

This topic was imported from the Typophile platform

Hello folks,

I made a few letterforms for a recent design job, a play about the Maori Battalion in Italy during WWII. A good friend suggested that I should finish up the basic character set and give it away free. I am happy to do this, but wonder if anyone would actually want it. Would you?

—K

[William Berkson]

I'm not in the market for display faces.

Even though this is kind of an oddity, it has a professional polish, and reflects the years you've put in learning to draw type, and your talent.

I don't know why, but I have an uneasy feeling that your giving away your work is not a good idea.

[inarges]

I'm not sure what I would use it for off the top of my head, but I really like it.

[HaleyFiege]

I would love a copy. Perhaps we can trade :)

[hrant]

Don't look at me - I don't use fonts. :-)

Instead of giving it away for free, donate the proceeds to some Maori cause.

BTW, the "T" isn't working.

hhp

[ebensorkin]

I too would sooner see you polish it further & release it. I agree with Bill ( William ). It is surprisingly nice for the simplicity of the core idea.

Will you tell us about the curled shape?

I think like Hrant, ( I assume this is what he means ) That the cap T could be wider. The S might somehow be fatter as well.

Of course I don't know - maybe you have a logic behind releasing it as free that I don't fathom. Sort of like what FF does but for Village instead? So especially if you are not keen spending the time massaging it - maybe a promotional font could be a good idea...

Sorry for all the waffling.

[Dunwich Type]

It’s well done, and it definitely falls into the category of fonts I refer to as situational, as in ”it’s weird but eventually a situation’ll pop up that makes this font useful.” So put it on Dafont and someone will find a use for it, and if you’re lucky, email you an image of the output.

On the other hand, given the trends in retro and ornamental design right now you might just have a big hit here, and could sell a lot of licenses at $19.95.

Hrant is right about the T. Fatten that sucker like Oprah in the baked goods aisle!

[kris]

I don’t know why, but I have an uneasy feeling that your giving away your work is not a good idea.

Perhaps, perhaps.

Will you tell us about the curled shape?

That is the koru. It is usually used thoughtlessly as a visual cliché to signify that something is "Maori", which is why I try to use it respectfully, or at least carefully! The geometry of the letterforms are inspired by the typographic style around WWII in Italy/Europe.

Sort of like what FF does but for Village instead? So especially if you are not keen spending the time massaging it - maybe a promotional font could be a good idea…

That is what I was thinking. It wouldn't take long to finish, and I'd like to give something back.

—K

[T.]

> Fatten that sucker like Oprah in the baked goods aisle!

:-D

[Goran Soderstrom]

I am in the opinion that having one or two free fonts on your reportoire could be good and also serve a nice gesture. For me personally, my free "quick and dirty" Autostyler font has given me a lot of contacts and generated a lot of traffic to my site.

In other words, I think many people would be very grateful to recieve such a nice font for free.

[hrant]

The "T" might need to be wider, but mostly I think it needs more koru.

hhp

[paul d hunt]

i always think that free fonts should be free for personal use, but if someone is going to use it for a professional job, he should pay for it. even free fonts need an EULA.

[wormwood]

It looks Maori to me, but then I probably assimilated the koru connection while I was there. I wonder if others will make the connection or see it simply as retro funkiness.

Are those koru in your user icon?

Maybe put it on only your site for free to attract web traffic but have a paypal button and suggest donations to a Maori charity. The koru is so iconic of Maori tradition that someone who uses the font would probably be indebted to them in some small tangental way.

I agree the T needs a koru or two and I'm not keen on the diagonal shift on the S and the centre bar of the E stands out a bit too much with its unique thickness.

It would look good in white on a black t-shirt...

(Edit)

Ooh, ooh, I got another T...

[hrant]

Here's an idea: make a plainer cut of this font, sans kora. Users would mix in glyphs from the kora cut as they see fit, especially if they want more subtlety. You might even make the plain one free but charge a charity donation for the kora cut.

hhp

[Duncan Forbes]

The 'T' and 'S' are fine as is.

the Koru look fine too.

[ebensorkin]

The T could also look lowercase-ish like the N does now.

Thanks for the explanation!

[fredo]

Kris, actually... That hairy type you've done. You wrote 'LOVE' in one thread with it. Used it on the cover of some book you designed. It's not really hairy. I want that one. I really really do.

ƒ

[aluminum]

"even free fonts need an EULA."

NO! Not every single transaction on the planet needs a EULA! ;o)

Whether you give it away free or not is up to you. That said, if you gave it away free, would someone use it? Of course they would. This is the internet. Someone somewhere would find a great use for it. And, of course, a lot of folks would find a completley inappropriate use for it. ;o)

It is a lovely face, btw.

[kris]

Kris, actually… That hairy type you’ve done. You wrote ‘LOVE’ in one thread with it. Used it on the cover of some book you designed. It’s not really hairy. I want that one. I really really do.

Glad you like that one fredo! I don't think that I'll ever be turning that one into an actual typeface, too complex & too much fiddling. If you like it, feel free to hand-letter it in a similar manner. That's how I did it, it's quite easy.

This is the internet. Someone somewhere would find a great use for it. And, of course, a lot of folks would find a completley inappropriate use for it.

Well, that is really the case with all typefaces—the good use of it cannot be guaranteed! I just wanted to feel this one out, as it is quite odd, not like my planned releases.

—K

[david h]

This face will match Paikea (know that book?)

[Nick Job]

Kris, it's way too good to give away! I would let it 'be' for a while and see where else it goes; eg I wonder if there's a lower case on the way?

Reminds me a bit if of FS Pele (Fontsmith)

So what if your folio has something different in it, that's a good thing. Shows how flexible you can be when the big corporates come knocking.

N

[ebensorkin]

I was just looking at a poster face made in the 20's in a nicolette grey book. I immediately thought of your face. Kris, was a 20's poster one of the inspirations for this? Perhaps I should scan the thing...

[kris]

Kris, was a 20’s poster one of the inspirations for this?

I don't think there was any specific poster, but I did look at a lot of Depero's work, as well as European Art Deco work.

[Endre Berentzen]

Hey Chris, I agree with wormwood, put it for free only on your own site with a donation box for the cause. It's to good to just give away, get some traffic out of it and some money for the Maori.

[inde]

hey man, i would love to have it, its a nice decorational font, why not!?

is there a way to sent it to me? (mail me if you want)

here is the link to my fontface, i give it out for free "advent"
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/57338302/