Little is currently known about 19th-century industrial woodtype manufacturing in continental Europe. A baffling case of a very rare and undated wood type specimen from Will & Schumacher, held at the Ghent University Library, offers a glimpse into this field of research.

If van den Keere’s collection of types represents a singular idea of what an alphabet would look like, then Heldane is the purest and most thorough expression of that idea I’ve seen.

Nobody knows who designed Akzidenz-Grotesk. For about 20 years it was attributed to Theinhardt, but this has recently been proven untrue.

Producing a new typeface is almost trivial — it can be done in a day. But making it feel new in the wider sense, making it feel culturally relevant is the hard part.

European concepts of originality and authorship form our current understanding of typeface design. Typographic history is written as a discrete sequence of “originals” created by “authors”. But can copies be equally as important?

The assertion “a typeface is a tool” is a typical justification for making new typefaces. It’s convenient, reassuring and sounds practical. It’s also false.

My grandfather used to say occassionally while I was growing up, “Not everyone gets to be special, but everyone can be useful.”

A typographic analysis of the logotypes of Motörhead, Megadeth, Misfits, Judas Priest, Led Zeppelin and Poison for Smith Journal.

When a stranger demands a discount on their customer’s behalf, what can you do? A small thought experiment for makers and sellers of digital files.

Rudy VanderLans’s reply to our “Welcome to the Infill Font Foundry” article.

A response to Rudy VanderLans’s claim of “In-fillism” in the typeface design industry.

The alphabet is a concept made concrete through countless written and designed letterforms; the alphabet is not defined by a single typeface but expressed through all of them.

All digital typography is mediated by user interfaces. OpenType fonts have subtle, complex behaviour that needs clear actions. Currently it’s mediocre — can do better?

There is no scene to set for inspiration. The more harder I look the more elusive inspiration is. So I don’t look. “Out of the work comes the work.”

“What’s your favourite font?” is an impossible question. I like too many to answer with brevity. So here are some I like, accompanied by specimens and short explanations.

“What’s your favourite font?” is an impossible question. I like too many to answer with brevity. So here are some I like, accompanied by specimens and short explanations.

“What’s your favourite font?” is an impossible question. I like too many to answer with brevity. So here are some I like, accompanied by specimens and short explanations.

The design process to create “a wordmark that reflects an innovative, modern company but projects our history, credibility and with a timeless elegance”.