TYPOGRAPHY MADE TO FITTypeTogether’s primer about lettering, font usage and tailored typography

this is

NOTan end user

licenseagreement

Buying fonts has become almost as challenging as using them. Nowadays graphic designers are faced with a rather complex uni-verse of legal and technical issues that can turn buying fonts into a frustrating and time consuming experience. But do not panic!

In the following pages, we have put together a series of thoughts and tips about the basics of lettering, font usage and tailored typog-raphy that serves as a checklist for the sensitive process of choos-ing and purchasing the right typeface for the job. This publication also provides guidelines about custom typography; when it is viable, how to order it, and what are its advantages when compared with retail typefaces.

You will also find some words that will help you understand the dif-ferent kinds of licensing models, in plain and easy to comprehend words, but please be warned about the legal validity of this booklet...

That’s right, this is the unavoidable disclaimer: this document is not an end user license agreement and has no legal validity. It is just meant to broadly inform you about some of the basics of font licens-ing. If you are in doubt about licensing issues we strongly encourage you to contact us.

To read the different kinds of EULAs of TypeTogether please visit this url:www.type-together.com/eula/

Foreword 2

Why typography is important 3

How is typography sold 4

Licensing at TypeTogether 5

Retail vs tailored typography 6

Custom typography 7

Font selection checklist 10

Summing up 11

Graphic and editorial designers, information ar-chitects and web developers play a central role in modern communication and human interac-tion. They make sure that the visual messages are delivered in an appropriate and effective manner. Their raw material is language, which most commonly appears in the form of written language, as letters. And most of the times, those letters appear in the form of typography.

Typography is, to a great extent, graphic designers’ main tool to communicate and convey messages. Understanding how type works and developing typographic sensitivity is in many cases what sets successful design aside from the rest. Fonts, if well used, amplify the effectiveness of words and the overall visual quality of a piece of design.

However, composing text is no simple task. Espe-cially when it comes to those design pieces that deal with many different elements that should work harmoniously together, and that require the combination of multiple type families. In these cases, each typographic decision must be in tune with the contents, the reproduction means, and the rest of the texts and images in the page. Such is the endless game of black and white that designers play every day.

Furthermore, there’s an identitary side to letters. Type communicates, but it also represents, and it is as important as iconography and colors when it comes to corporate identity programs. That is why tailored typography has become a very ap-pealing option for companies of certain sizes. A typeface sets the tone in which an organization speaks to itself and to others. In this sense, hav-ing a unique voice is as important as a logotype.

Why typography is important

C ON TE NT S

FOUNDRY – DISTRIBUTOR MODEL

FOUNDRY – DESIGNER MODEL

how is typography sold?

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For more than 500 years type was cast in metal. Hence buying fonts implied moving around heavy boxes of lead. In the digital era typography lost its mass and weight to make way for binary code, zeros and ones. Therefore typography is commercialized like software or music files. Although most people speak of ‘buying fonts,’ all that is really sold is the license to use them. The actual design of the font software remains the property of the type designer.

The license describes permissions and restrictions about how the font software is to be installed and used. Here are some of the most common things to be found in an End User License Agreement1.

Most typefaces are designed by individuals or a very small group of typeface designers. There are two ways in which you can go “font shopping.”

1. This text is based on the text published by the Association Typographique Internationale called Fonts and Fairness, which we recommend and is publicly available at <http://www.atypi.org/fonts-and-fairness/five-basic-rules-for-buying-fonts>

FONT FILE

FONT & STYLE NAMES

GLYPH OUTLINES

SPACING & KERNING

HINTING

LICENSE

Amount of CPUs and geographical locations where the font can be installed.

Whether the font can be placed on web servers or be embedded in files and apps.

Defines if the font can be modified, decompiled and recompiled.

Sets permissions to transfer the font, redistribute or send it to a print bureau.

Explains which uses of the font would require additional licensing.

Buy fonts directly at the developer’s online store:1 Just a handful of font families2 Consistent quality of construction and language coverage 3 Focus on similar style & function of typefaces (editorial, packaging, book, script, etc...)4 Direct contact with designers allow for quick font customization5 Fast technical support

Visit a font distributor to buy fonts:1 Thousands of font families to choose from2 Carries fonts for every use3 Mixed levels of font quality and language coverage4 Provide only first layer of customer support5 No direct contact with the designer

FOUNDRY

FONT MARKET

B N

FOUNDRY

FOUNDRY

FOUNDRY

FONT

FONT

FONT

FONT

FONT

FONT

FONT

FONTFONT

RENTAL

EDITABLE EMBEDDINGFonts are used in a software product, which allows the end user to interact with the fonts, e.g. in a search field or other user-editable dynamic text.

COMMERCIAL TEMPLATE LICENSINGFonts to be embedded in a software or web application, that can be used as an option for customizing an end product, e.g. business cards, t-shirts, etc...

UNLIMITED COMMERCIAL OEM LICENSEBlanket license to include the fonts in any potential commercial product of a company or organization.

LIMITED COMMERCIAL OEM LICENSESame as the previous item but limited to a single product.

HIGH PROFILE BRANDING & BROADCASTINGFonts to be included prominently within a feature film or as a part of a TV channel identity.

MERCHANDISING PRINT LICENSEUse letters and illustrations embodied in the font files on products for sale such as clothing, bags, and other merchandising. LI

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ER TypeTogether offers different kinds of licenses. The most common ones are described below. As it is possible with fonts, licenses can be tailored to the customer’s specific needs. If you are unsure about licensing or require a tailored license please do not hesitate to contact us at info@type-together.com

Graphic designers: Use this type of license to install TypeTogether’s fonts in your studio’s desktop and laptop computers, and use them to create artwork for your clients.

Web designers: Use this type of license to host TypeTogether’s fonts on a web server and use them with @fontface CSS code in your client’s group of domain names.

2. We also advise visiting our webfont service part-ners, who provide a more cost-effective solution for websites with a lower amount of monthly visitors: FontDeck, Typekit and Webink.

Developers: Use this type of license to embed TypeTogether’s typefaces in a mobile application, regardless of its price, amount of sales and supported platforms.

DESKTOP WEBFONT APP EMBEDDING1 Fonts are provided in OpenType format (OTF).

2 Smallest license allows the installation of font software in up to 5 computers. Multi-user discounts are available.

3 You can embed the fonts in PDF and Flash files.

4 You can use the fonts to design printed and digital pieces.

5 Font can be sent to a print bureau for production of design pieces.

1 TypeTogether provides webfonts for selfhosting only, but we part- ner with other webfont service providers2.

2 Fonts are provided in optimized for screen rendering.

3 Fonts are provided in EOT, WOFF, TTF and SVG formats.

4 Webfont licenses are priced according to the website traffic.

5 Licenses can be bought on a yearly or perpetual basis.

1 Fonts are provided in OpenType format (OTF).

2 Read-only embedding in a single application. Multi-app & editable licenses are available too.

3 Each license allows for any number of app downloads and any number of mobile platforms.

4 One license is good for the lifetime of the product.

5 One license is good for any amount of ebook titles.

Ask for a temporary TESTING license, to create artwork for presentation purposes in the concept and mock-up phase of your project.

Most of the common uses of our typefaces are covered with one of the three licensing models described above. However, we do require addi-tional licensing in those cases where our typefaces become a significant part of a commercial product or enterprise.

RETAIL CUSTOMVS

It is commonly accepted that retail fonts are those that are already made and that designers can buy online for just a few

Euros. On the other hand, custom typefaces are made on demand for very large organizations that have a lot of time and money to

invest in this. In reality, the borderline between custom and retail typography is much more blurred than this.

So, what is right for your client? Here are a few tips to help you find your way around this...

Retail fonts are ready to be downloaded and their availability is immediate. Just add them to your shopping cart, checkout and you are ready to start using them.

The fonts in our library are open to be purchased by anyone. Retail fonts can also be adapted to specific needs, whether they are technical or aesthetic. As a result, customers obtain a type-face that is unique up to certain point, but it is anchored in a retail development.

Copyright of all of our retail typefaces is owned by the original designers. You can purchase, howev-er, a company-wide license which would allow for unlimited use of the font files within the broader company structure.

Retail typefaces are by definition not exclusive. However, TypeTogether can offer custom modifi-cations of retail fonts. When these modifications are of an aesthetic nature, such as the redesign of some glyphs, these can be purchased as ex-clusive variations of the fonts. This system allows companies to have unique versions of existing fonts at an accessible price.

Our fonts are provided in cross-platform Open-Type format, and all of the necessary webfont formats. Other formats are available upon re-quest. Our minimum character set covers Latin Extended A, which supports all of the European languages and more. Check our website for de-tails about language and script coverage for each type family.

The price of our retail fonts depends on the amount of characters included. Fonts with small caps are slightly more expensive than basic ver-sions. We also have a few free fonts. Check our website and download them immediately.

There are different levels of customization, from modifying a couple of characters of an existing retail font to creating a complete tailored type family. The first scenario takes only a few days, and the second may take several months.

Nothing will represent a company or organiza-tion more accurately than a typeface designed es-pecially for it. Tailored typefaces will be consistent with the rest of a company’s branding program. In many cases, a complete typeface is developed out of the logotype lettering.

It is possible to order a tailored typeface with full copyright transfer or not. If the customer acquires the copyrights they are entitled to re-distribute, give away, or even sell the fonts. Oth-erwise they can use the fonts unrestricted within their organization, but not make them available to third parties.

When typefaces are ordered with full copyright transfer, the customer receives perpetual exclu-sivity of that design. Otherwise, a limited period of exclusivity can be agreed. TypeTogether then reserves the right to sell the product or a modi-fied version of it under a different name when this exclusivity period ends.

Custom typography will always comply with the technical and linguistic needs of the customer. We take everything into consideration, from the size of the character sets to the different repro-duction methods and the customer’s software framework.

Pricing for tailored fonts is provided on a per case basis. The required amount of letters and scripts, complexity of the design, quantity of style vari-ations and post-production processes have an impact on the final price of the project.

TIMEFRAME

IDENTITY

COPYRIGHT

EXCLUSIVITY

COMPLIANCE

PRICING

LOGOTYPES

Without any doubt, one of the most com-mon requests for custom lettershapes is for logo refinement. Installing a font and typing the brand name does not make a logo. This is due to a wide range of reasons. Main one being that when we design an alphabet we make letters in such a way that they can fit before and after any other letter. This is a condition inherent to the very definition of typography. If we knew the final word that will be written we would certainly make let-ters differently. And this is exactly what we do with logos: We interpret the designer’s ultimate intention and create and modify shapes to create a more harmonious, cohe-sive and appealing shape.

Graphic designer César Cesio chose the VAG typeface, developed for Volkswagen AG in 1979, as the type family for the cor-porate identity of Pomera Maderas, a FSC® certified forest management company and wood producer. Our task here was to design the lettering for the logo in concordance to the overall feel of the corporate typeface.

The resulting logo shows letters with more coherence in their horizontal proportions, that work together towards stressing the importance of the letter ’O’. Horizontal strokes have a more appropriate width and the roundness of terminals is a bit more squarish. Still, both type family and logo resemble each other.

As part of the redesign of the award-win-ning Islamica Magazine it was decided to use our Karmina as text typeface and to re-design the bodoni-style logotype. We were asked to develop something more human-istic with classical proportions that would reflect the magazine’s reputation.

The problematic letter combinations LA and AM were solved by a stronger tilt on L’s serif and a fluid connection between the A and M serifs.

The logotype was intended to be used in different functions, scenarios and sizes. Therefore the design had to be adjusted correspondingly. In the small version the contrast between thin and thick strokes was reduced and serifs were thickened to guarantee good performance. The mast-head on the other hand could feature much thinner strokes and serifs and so have an elegant appearance.

Retail typography

Custom lettering

Masterhead

Sub Headline

Small Size

Design studio FutureBrand com-missioned this customized version of our successful type family Bree. The objective was to introduce a series of changes that would help connect the typeface to the new logotype of the country brand for Perú, which is based on drawings from the Nazca lines.

The approved design reinforces the characteristic feature of the logo: the spiral. However, the resulting shapes could not appear too fre-

quently as they have very strong impact on the resulting text. The capabilities embodied in the font format OpenType allowed for a sim-ple solution. The six resulting fonts use different OpenType features to allow users to activate and deacti-vate the new ornamental shapes by just one click of the mouse. As a consequence, graphic designers have a quick and versatile shortcut to the iterative process of testing these shapes on current DTP appli-cations3.

3. OpenType support in DTP applications varies, so fonts are engineered according to the software that is used by our clients.

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Qu

<B<D<E<F<H<I<K<P<R<T=B=D=E=F=H=I=K=P=RE>L>a>d>h>i>m>n>u>

@ Q @ QBuilt-in character replacement

ASPegt& AS Peg t&Stylistic Set 01

Stylistic Set 02

Discretionary ligatures

Contextual Alternates

Characters that were simply redesigned to match the client’s brief.

Initial and final shapes that match the branding and can be accessed through stylistic alternates.

Alternate letterforms that are engineered for better performance in text sizes or continuous reading.

Optional ligature for letter pair ‘Qu’, which is highly common in Spanish language.

Series of initial and final ornaments that can be typed through math characters and then accessed by means of the contextual alternates OpenType feature.

The magic of OpenType Perú country brand,designed by FutureBrand

FONT CUSTOMIZATION

LEVI’S®

Probably the lesser known part of our work is the one related to consultancy and li-cense management. Ironically, this may be one of the most important reasons to seek a type foundry. We make sure design studios can achieve their goals without spending a fortune and keep their com-panies legally compliant.

Portland based advertising agency Wieden-Kennedy con-tacted us with a simple brief: they needed a stencil version of Bodoni that supported the three scripts Latin, Greek and Cyrillic. However, the re-quired font did not exist. In-stead of designing a complete-ly new typeface, TypeTogether advised a more immediate and inexpensive solution:

1. We located a version of Bodoni that already had Latin and Cyrillic, commercialized by Russian type foundry Paratype.

2. We secured the appropriate license and permissions to modify the typeface.

3. We located a Greek Open Source version of Bodoni that would serve as a starting point.

4. We improved the design of the three scripts, added the stencil cuts and joined them under the Paratype Bodoni font file.

This required only a small fraction of the time and in-vestment that would be need-ed for a complete tailored font.

A B C D EF G H I J KL M N O PQ R S T UV W X Y ZΑ Β Γ Δ Ε ΖΗ Θ Ι Κ ΛΜ Ν Ξ Ο ΠΡ Σ Τ Υ ΦΧ Ψ ΩА Б В Г Д ЕЖ З Й И КЛ М Н О ПР С Т У Ф ХЦ Ч Ш ЩЪ Ы Ь Э ЮЯ Џ Ћ Љ Њ

One of the most cost-efficient ways of purchasing a tailored font is getting a custom

modification of an existing retail typeface.

Compliance & common senseLevi’s® customized font for its 2011 campaign.

LATI

NG

REEK

CYRI

LLIC

FONT CUSTOMIZATION

Into the Tower of Babel

Out of the ten most widely spoken languages only three use the Latin alphabet4. And even within Latin typography, there is a big percentage of fonts that does not support Central or Northern European languages.

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �

Standard TypeTogether LAT character set. It in-cludes Latin extended A, discretionary ligatures, five sets of numbers, full super and subscript alphabets, small caps, math symbols and var-ied bullets, arrows and ornaments.

The language extension requested by Apple includes several additions to the Latin A range, Latin B (used in languages from Africa and Southeast Asia), Polytonic Greek, Extended Cyrillic and full Interna-tional Phonetic Alphabet (used in dictionaries and other academic texts).

4. Source: www.ethnologue.com

The Typography unit at Apple requested a version of our type-face Athelas to include in their successful e-book reader, the iBooks mobile app. A character set extension was needed so that Athelas would support dictionar-ies, scholarly journals and pub-lications in different languages.

As a result, Apple’s Athelas carries over 2400 glyphs while the retail version has 950. Language support is an important factor in the type selection process, but type families can be expanded upon request in order to fit specific needs.

!

The resulting shapes are a bit quirky and rather inspired by handwriting than printing, e.g. M N W X Y. Although apparently geometric, letters had to be optically adjusted for them to work harmoniously in text and to avoid unpleasant dark spots. So were counters slightly squashed to make them appear round and all connections were made thinner to avoid blobbing.

TAILORED

Brand coherence

Pete McCracken together with Cinco Design commissioned us to create a custom typeface family for the life simulation hit computer game, Spore. The exclusive fonts were to be used for all communication material linked to Spore including the extensive game manual, and the marketing campaign announcing the game. The typeface was conceived to be one of the pillars of Spore’s branding strategy, func-tioning in body text as well as in display situa-tions. A tailored typeface greatly supports the company’s recognizability and distinctive-ness, guarantees the process of exchanging information both internally and externally, and allows for the company’s expansion at no

extra licensing charges. Developing the cus-tom font from the company’s logotype is often a good starting point. This will ensure visual coherence throughout the brand speaking in one tone. In Spore’s case, the agency indicated three main features that the fonts should fulfill: 1 Circular geometry, 2 Rounded ends and 3 Symmetry. Given the multi-purpose use of the Spore fonts, legibility was a clear concern during the design. For example, the little out-stroke on ‘a’ and ‘q’ helps to distinguish the ‘a’ from the ‘o’ in text setting and it gives the ‘q’ a bit of idiosyncrasy.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789

Even the slightest adjustment in a font can make a sensible difference in typesetting. In this vein, text-intensive pieces such as newspa-pers, web portals or magazines depend a good deal on the graphic designer’s typographic sen-sitivity and good taste.

News consultancy firm Cases i Associats con-tacted us to develop a tailored font based on our own newspaper type family Abril. The ob-jective was to generate a new style that, while sharing the curve strength and low contrast of the Abril text fonts, could be used for setting titles.

Lettershapes, proportions, color and spacing in headline typefaces are distinctly different from text fonts. The personality of lettershapes in headlines should be molded in careful agree-ment with the editorial direction of a publica-tion. For the development of Abril Almería we were able to work side by side with the news consultants in the fine tuning of a new typeface for these tailored headlines, which furnished La Voz de Almería with a highly effective and unique voice.

Find your own style

El veloz murciélagoEl veloz murciélagoEl veloz murciélagoAbril Display

Abril Text

Abril Almería

The resulting face is based on Abril Text, but due to its display use, some features were changed. For example, some of the optical compensations, such as the serif angle, necessary for text sizes, were removed. This adds to the newsy feel and gives the shapes more evenness along the x-height. Additionally, the letter widths and spacing were condensed to fit more characters per line and the overall color was increased to deliver more impact in large headlines on the front pages.

Style request checklist1 How many characters should fit per line?2 What is the printing size(s)?3 What is the main function of the font (text, title)?4 How will it be rendered?5 What is the target color of the blocks of text?6 How tight will the leading be?

Abril Display Abril Text Abril Almería

TYPOGRAPHY

G

Stressing the brand

QlikView is a software that helps present intensive amounts of data on screens. In other words, the software piece is a tool for application devel-opers. Being stuck with system fonts (Arial, Times, etc...) presented sev-eral problems for them: They were generic and lacked brand value, had poor legibility for data visualization and their appearance did not express a forward facing piece of software.

For those reasons, we set out to cre-ate a type family that could be freely distributed, work well for the data

community, and could become the defacto choice for data analysis and visualization. This project involved an extra layer of complexity because the fonts would be rendered in differ-ent browsers, operating systems and devices.

Ideally, fonts would be engineered to excel in their performance on the de-sired printing and rendering technol-ogies from very early design stages to the last post-production processes such as hinting.

Delivering on screens

In the Latin alphabet there is a series of let-tershapes that, without careful design, may present recognition problems.

The serifs in ‘I’ help to make a clear distinction to letter ‘l’.

The stroke in number ’0’ and its condensed shape make it immediately recognizable.

Clear difference in construction helps to dif-ferentiate the numbers.

Il10O

68 hinting is the process by which fonts are adjusted for optimum rendering on computer screens. Hinting uses mathematical instructions to adjust the display of a fonts’ outline so that important parts of lettershapes such as stems or x-height appear consistent in a low resolution grid. At low screen resolutions, hinting is critical for producing clear, legible text.

It is important to consider the multiple communication channels in which a font is likely to be used. Consistent rendering in

different platforms is key to consistent branding.

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Role &purpose

Technicalrequirements

What are the contents?Make sure the font supports the required languages and contains the necessary letter and number alternates such as small caps or old style figures.

What is the role of the text?The selected typeface must have appropriate vertical and horizon-tal proportions. It should fit the right amount of characters per line and deliver the desired typographic color.

How long is the text and how is it read?The letter shapes must collaborate towards content delivery and the type family should have enough styles for the design. Also, ensure that the typeface does not produce fatigue in long texts.

e

e

e

e

e

e

e

e

AestheticconsiderationsWill it work well with the contents?Letters may carry loads of different emotional properties and create a general atmosphere. It is important that this impression feels in harmony with the message that is being conveyed.

Will it work well with the other fonts?If several font styles need to work together in the same block of text try to match the x-height or choose a superfamily5. If using contrasting sizes, try choosing fonts that share a design intention.

Does it fit the lifespan of the piece?Be careful about choosing fashionable type. Trends change, and the design can look outdated very quickly. Take special care when developing designs with a more permanent character.

e

e

e

What are the printing conditions?Remember that sturdy shapes and ample forms are preferable for small texts. Ink traps can help printing on rough paper and low contrast typefaces are favored for coated surfaces.

Will it be delivered on screens?When choosing webfonts, consult to verify if the fonts have been optimized for screen and verify the rendering is good enough on different browsers and operating systems.

What about software compliance?It is important to check whether the font format is compatible with your design application. Be careful: some design applications may have limited support for OpenType features.

Budget & licensingDoes the license fit my needs? Look into some limitations that font licenses may have: deploy-ment as webfonts, embedding in software applications, use in mainstream broadcasting or some commercial applications may require additional and sometimes much more expensive licensing.

What are the budgeting limitations?Check your budget when selecting fonts, and see whether the fonts must work together with other types that have already been licensed. Also, we recommend checking that the licenses can be easily upgraded at a later date.

1 2FONTSELECTION CHECKLISTWe recommend this 4-step conceptual framework to ask the right questions in the right order when selecting fonts. A font selection process that is fully aware of complexities that go beyond decorative issues can only help to achieve better design, and it will hopefully guide graphic designers through a journey of type discovery. Remember, selecting the right font does make a difference!

5. Large font families that have different construction features (serif and sans serif, condensed and expanded, etc...) are often referred to as ‘superfamilies’

LE

SS

BU

DG

ET

MO

RE

BU

DG

ET

R E TA I L F O N T S

TA I L O R E D F O N T S

summing

UP

COPYRIGHTSTRANSFER

Commission a tailored type family accord-

ing to your needs and secure exclusivity by acquisition of copy

rights.

LIMITED EXCLUSIVITY

Commission a tailored type family according to your needs, and use it exclusively for a limit-

ed period of time.

CUSTOMIZEDFONT STYLE

Get a new font style from an existing de-

sign, tailored to your communication and

technical needs.

TAILOREDFONT DRAFT

Request a new font based on your sketch,

extended to a fully working type family,

according to your needs.

TAILORED LETTERSHAPES

Request one of our typefaces with a lim-ited number of rede-

signed lettershapes to achieve a unique voice

for your brand.

CHARACTER SET EXTENSION

Commission TypeTo-gether’s typefaces

with tailored language support.

SCRIPTEXTENSION

Have a further char-acter set extension by

adding one or more writing systems to our

typefaces.

FORMAT CONVERSION

Buy re-engineered versions of our retail

fonts in order to fit your current software

workflow structure.

SCREENOPTIMIZATION

Request a manual-ly optimized version of our webfonts, and

host them on your own server.

DESKTOPLICENSE

Buy a font from TypeTogether’s library. With our basic license

you can install the fonts in up to 5 CPUs.

APPLICATIONEMBEDDING

Embed our fonts in a mobile application, re-

gardless of the amount of copies sold or the supported platforms.

WEBFONTSELFHOSTING

Host TypeTogether’s webfonts on your own

server, hence con-trolling load speed and

reliability.

COMPANY-WIDELICENSE

This license allows for unrestricted use of

the fonts within your broader company

structure. Suggested for 2000+ CPUs.

WEBFONT SERVICES

Use our fonts in your website through the

services of our trusted partners: FontDeck,

Fonts.com, Typekit and Webink.

CUSTOMLETTERING

Have TypeTogether fine tune a logotype to achieve better brand

cohesiveness and consistent rendering

across sizes and media.

4

Technicalrequirements

Budget & licensing

2

C /TypeTogether

D /photos/typetogether

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