Unfinished lists

[Riccardo Sartori]

I will use this thread to gather references to typefaces or other type-related projects of interest with shared features.

When enough similar items will be amassed, I intend to construct a proper list.

Additions and suggestions are, of course, encouraged.

[Riccardo Sartori]

Unfinished list № 1: typefaces for cities

Not just inspired by cities, or showing just one aspect of them, however iconic. But expressly commissioned by municipalities or, in any case, designed to represent the “spirit” of the whole city.

• Chatype, for Chattanooga, TN: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chatype/chatype-a-typeface-for-chattanooga-tennessee/description http://chatype.com/ 
• Network, for Birmingham, UK: http://www.monotype.com/resources/case-studies/a-typeface-that-travels-for-the-city-of-birmingham/
• FF Amman, for Amman, Jordan: https://www.yanone.de/fonts/amman/

I also think to have seen a fairly recent one, for an Eastern European city, made available for free download by its designer, but I can’t remember where.

[Riccardo Sartori]

Unfinished list № 2: typefaces drawn with unusual means

I would include only actual fonts (so, no bacteria this time, perhaps in a different list), containing graphemes (so no ferrofluid either).

• Tracking a car’s movements, iQ font: http://www.kuotzu-i.net/iqfont/ 

• Punching a canvas with paint (not a new thing), Klitschko vs. Illiteracy: https://www.linotype.com/7184/klitschko-vs-illiteracy.html 

[Ralf Herrmann]

For list number 1: Eindhoven in the Netherlands got a custom display font.

This is supposedly the brand website but it can’t be reached currently: http://merkeindhoven.nl

[Riccardo Sartori]

Thanks!

10 hours ago, Ralf Herrmann said:

This is supposedly the brand website but it can’t be reached currently: http://merkeindhoven.nl

It seems it needs the “www”, for some reason: http://www.merkeindhoven.nl/

[Riccardo Sartori]

On 10/8/2016 at 1:25 AM, Riccardo Sartori said:

Unfinished list № 1: typefaces for cities

The presentation of a talk from the latest TypeCon prompted me to do some more research, that led to a nice article in The Guardian.

So, here are the new entrants:

• Seattle, for the City of Seattle, WA (the only sample I found is Seattle Text Bold, but the aforelinked description hints at an extensive type system).
• Twin, by Just van Rossum and Erik van Blokland, for the “Twin Cities” Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN (there also is a book documenting the process).
• Stockholm Type, for Stockholm, Sweden.
• Wayfarer, for Sheffield, UK.

 

[Rogier]

Brisbane, by Troy Leinster http://typemedia2013.com/typeface/brisbane/

[Riccardo Sartori]

I found a new one for list № 2: 

[Riccardo Sartori]

Of interest:

 

[Riccardo Sartori]

Also for list № 1:

Quote

Helsinki Grotesk, a custom typeface with what are described as “wavy” details, provides both character and continuity throughout all communications, and a clear functional foundation.

http://bpando.org/2018/04/19/branding-helsinki/

 

[Riccardo Sartori]

 

[Riccardo Sartori]

This also surely belongs to some list.

[Riccardo Sartori]

For list № 1: Big Shoulders.

Quote

Big Shoulders is a family of condensed American Gothic typefaces, created for the city and citizens of Chicago. The family’s tall, sans-serif forms are based in Chicago’s multiple histories in railway transport, journalism, advertising, and public political action.

 

[Riccardo Sartori]

Unfinished list № 3: fairly recent revivals or aesthetically adjacents of geometric art deco seventies science fiction typefaces (working title)

1. Marvin Vision;
2. Righteous;
3. ...

 

[Riccardo Sartori]

Unfinished list № 4: the past that never was: the stressed constructivist alphabets

One of the main stylistic features of the Bauhaus and other European avant-gardes of the early twentieth century, whether it is graphic design, furniture, architecture, or even weaving, was the contrast between thick lines and thinner lines.

Yet, when it comes to typographic exploration, they produced mostly a bunch of monolinear sans serifs.

Here are some modern explorations that could have been at home on a Bauhaus poster or a constructivist manifesto (at least in an alternate timeline).

1. Modern Modern;
2. Geostar Fill (and Geostar);
3. Calzoleria;
4. …

 

 

 

[Riccardo Sartori]

Adding to list № 4:

• Mon Hugo.

[Riccardo Sartori]

Unfinished list № 5: fonts that use OpenType ligature (or other) features for something other than ligatures

There are at least two sub-genres here:

1. something purposely useful, like Chartwell or Datalegreya;
2. something gimmicky, often with some kind of message, like Common Sans or Scunthorpe Sans (and others that I can’t remember now).

In any case, especially for the latter genre, because they need to be based on lists of words to substitute, they “work” only for the language(s) chosen by their designers. The same problem exist for fonts that use ligature features in a relatively more standard way, like Hangulatin.

[Riccardo Sartori]

Adding to list № 3:

• Nichrome

[Riccardo Sartori]

For list № 5:

• Disclosure Dingbats

[Riccardo Sartori]

Not sure if Q Shapes would qualify for list № 5 🤔

[Riccardo Sartori]

Perhaps MuseoModerno for list № 3.

[Riccardo Sartori]

Another for the “man-made geography” still unnumbered list: Coastline type.

 

[Riccardo Sartori]

For list № 5, sub-genre 1: Sparks.

[Riccardo Sartori]

For list № 5, sub-genre 2: The Polite Type.

[Riccardo Sartori]

On 8/10/2016 at 1:25 AM, Riccardo Sartori said:

I also think to have seen a fairly recent one, for an Eastern European city, made available for free download by its designer, but I can’t remember where.

Possibly Permian, made by Ilya Ruderman for Perm.