The most beautiful font

[juandelperal]

This topic was imported from the Typophile platform

I was wondering what is the best type designed in your opinion.
I'm looking for references to learn and to find inspiration.
I think that some typefaces are not very elegant but it works very well (Quadraat) and others are really beautiful ...
Trinité is perhaps one of my favorites.
Yours?

[Alessandro Segalini]

Juan Pablo, what kind of learning and inspiration are you looking for ?

[eliason]

Don't know about "most beautiful" but I think Georg Trump's Delphin is pretty nice.

[Quincunx]

As a matter of fact, Trinité is probably also my favorite.

[nina]

Hmmm… Lexicon, maybe. If only it had a different question mark.

[Paul Cutler]

Trintié italic is really beautiful.

[Chris Dean]

We should start by defining "beauty." I recommend reading Edward Robert De Zurko, The Origins of Functionalist Theory. My copy is at the lab so I can't provide a full reference off hand. Strangely, it's not in my bibliography. While heavily slanted towards Western philosophy, it's still an amazing read.

Only one copy left!

[ebensorkin]

My ideas about beauty in type have shifted towards doing a job well. Whereas the superficial prettiness of a specific glyph, especially if it gets in the way of utility has taken more & more of a back seat. There are plenty of type designs where you have both.

[juandelperal]

what kind of learning and inspiration are you looking for ?

Mmm, I don't know really. I think that with time people becomes fan of some things. Type is –for the strange people like us– one of them.
I am thinking to design a new font and right now I want to think before start what I have to do and what not. I mean: in my last project I started to design but with no parameters or goals clearly defined. And this is not a good start point because you really don't have how to compare if you are right or wrong in the process.
In typophile I learned a lot of things, and ask you a «top five» font ranking will be good to know another designs and oppinions about what are the cool and lovely things on type.

Juan

[juandelperal]

I know how hard are to define this things:
Top five movies
Top ten albums…
It's like the Rolling Stone magazine

[J.Montalbano]

Hammer or screwdriver. Which is more beautiful? Discuss.

[russellm]

Hammers can used to drive screws, screwdrivers can't be used to pound in nails very effectively. Hammers are therfore 100% prettier than screwdrivers.
One can't really comment on the beauty of a typeface without knowing how it will be used and in what context.

-=®=-

[Paul Cutler]

Trinité is truly beautiful. Screw your hammers.

[juandelperal]

One can’t really comment on the beauty of a typeface without knowing how it will be used and in what context.
Absolutely. For books

[Alessandro Segalini]

What about improving your handwriting, would you do that ?

[ilovecolors]

If we agree that this is just for fun, then I'm a fan of

1) SugarPie
2) Meta
3) Museo
4) Romeral
5) since you like TEFF typefaces, the one I like is Ruse.

Anyone knows of a use case of Ruse? with images if possible?

[Nick Shinn]

I wouldn't say this is a particularly beautiful font, but the book is beautiful to read.
It's N by E, by Rockwell Kent, published in 1930.
I bought a copy on Sunday at the bibliophile market.
Old publications with letterpress typography fascinate me, and not a few of my types have been attempts to transport the quality of yore to the digital-offset-pixel environment.

[kentlew]

> Anyone knows of a use case of Ruse? with images if possible?

Elliot -- I believe I've seen bits of Ruse used in House Beautiful magazine here in the States. Unfortunately, no images for you. And I doubt you'll find a copy of it in Argentina.

[juandelperal]

Beautiful example Nick

[juandelperal]

Some of my favorites today (it always change)

Rayuela

Borges
Archer

Trinité
Lexicon
Quadraat - Quadraat Sans
Mendoza
Aldus (the italic is lovely)
Poliphilus
On Sans - On Serif (textaxis.com)

Scala
…

[_Palatine_]

Mr Shinn:

Agreed.

That is a beautiful page. There's really nothing like letterpress.

I love reading old E.B. White books. Most of them are set in either letterpress Electra or Fairfield. Whenever I read them I feel as if I'm part of an earlier, simpler time - on White's salt water farm in Maine during the late 30s or early 40s, maybe in early summer. I doubt that the same material set in today's laser-optimized, ultra-sharp fonts could achieve the same effect, respectfully.

No one could construct a sentence quite like E.B. White. Now combine that with a wholesome, warm, dark letterpress font on faintly musty, creamy paper, and what you've got is a kind of sensory and intellectual nirvana.

By the way, Mr Shinn, what type is being used on that page?

[Nick Shinn]

Mr Szabo, please call me Nick!
I believe the face is Fournier.

[ilovecolors]

Kentlew, I have always been intrigued about who could buy the necessary Ruse weights to compose a book. Must be some publisher or big studio because Ruse is a bit expensive for the average freelance if you're going to use it only in special ocassions.
I don't think I'm wrong if I said that Teff are most expensive typefaces, but they look really good...

[_Palatine_]

Nick:

Done. ;)

Fournier look so different in letterpress.

[maxispr]

My favourite?
That is the hardest question ever heard.
But, please look at this.
A page of "The Book of Ruth" printed 1904 by Alderbrink Press.
I find this blackletter very powerful!
It is sad some have lost this spirit.

Maximiliano R. Sproviero
Lián Types.-