Typography Weekly: Typography Weekly #143

The old typography is new again

Tue, 19 May 2026 17:01:16 +0000

Born of analog typesetting constraints, optical sizing is once again relevant in digital design

New font platform fonts.xyz has launched

Tue, 19 May 2026 09:34:49 +0000

“fonts.xyz is our little internet village for independent type foundries and designers.” The platform by NaN just launched with 27 foundries and 877 fonts.

Typesetting Races before the Age of Linotype

Thu, 14 May 2026 05:07:37 +0000

Before Linotype revolutionised typesetting in the 1880s, compositors set texts by hand — and they set them fast. Alex Wright rediscovers the thrilling world of typesetting races, which drew crowds in the thousands, offered huge cash prizes, and helped women “Swifts” fight for workplace equity.

FontCreator 16 released

Sat, 09 May 2026 05:08:51 +0000

Version 16 brings a deeper layer model to the editor, a real subtractive design tool, parametric component reuse, and a refreshed editor surface unified across Windows and macOS.

Affinity 3.2 allows changing color font palettes

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 06:35:25 +0000

A video by Jectives demonstrating the interface in Affinity to override the default color palettes in color fonts.

Pica: a free font manager for MacOS

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 04:51:40 +0000

A small and currently free font management app by Josh Puckett offering logo previews, color themes, full OpenType support, custom collections, one-click activation and watch folders.

Why type designers and libraries need each other

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 08:36:08 +0000

Type designer and typography researcher Anya Danilova and our editor Adelina Shaidullina talked to the library’s deputy head for science, Benjamin Guichard, about how and why institutions like BULAC and type designers or typography researchers should collaborate.

Recasting the Past: Going Back to Paper for a Better Future

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 08:02:09 +0000

Moving from metal to digital type compromised much of our typographic heritage. To build digital fonts for the future, we must return to their physical origins.