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74 Comments
- Torpov, on 11/11/2008, -3/+46No comic sans?
- bigtimslim, on 11/11/2008, -0/+27I would have been great to see examples of the 20
- ninjaface, on 11/11/2008, -9/+30You know you're an uber dork when you classify someones poor choice of font as "dangerous." Holy crap man, get outside and start talking to real humans. Maybe find a girlfriend. Your life is in the doldrums.
- freeballin, on 11/11/2008, -1/+20Ahh, a font whore's delight.
- EliteByDesign, on 11/11/2008, -0/+13Definitely a good list, but more often than not it boils down to how a designer uses the listed typefaces - color, size, spacing, etc.
- NerveBand, on 11/11/2008, -4/+16You must be whacked. Times New Roman is one of the standards in desktop publishing. it's extremely easy on the eyes and a very good reading font.
- splatterboy, on 11/11/2008, -0/+10re:elendryst - "Times New Roman is one of the standards in desktop publishing"
What about that phrase don't you understand? Hint: it's about printing - jamesharris, on 11/11/2008, -0/+9Limiting your font options, especially when you are a student or a rookie, is a wise decision. When I was in college each computer in the University design studio was loaded with only “pre-approved” type faces. Certain professors would not accept projects that used typefaces outside of this canon. It taught me to respect typefaces as unique designs within themselves and that not all are created equal.
Although I’m not sure I agree with the list. I’d remove Centaur, Jenson, Times New Roman, Mrs Eaves, Rockwell, Franklin Gothic, News Gothic, and Copperplate Gothic. The replacements would be Akzideaz Grotesk, Avenir, Baskerville, Caledonia, Walbaum, Mercury, Gotham, and Gill Sans. - Ganpachi, on 11/11/2008, -0/+9I like how in two posts he both praises and damns copperplate gothic (via the coolvetica link).
Which one is it?!?!?! - techobo, on 11/11/2008, -0/+9This is a fantastic list for people who are just starting out. I remember my first year of college studying in design, I had all these "amazing" fonts that were just waiting to show my instructors how creative I was. In retrospect, they only really had one use... Club flyers. How many free fonts do you know that have a rich glyph pallet, ligatures options, and a variety of different weights? Good luck completing a project after finding out your typeface doesn't have italics.
I would urge new designers to accept this list as an excellent starting point. I'll concede that they may look a little boring at first, but after you experiment with colour, spacing and finding complimentary typefaces, you'll find the faces to be quite exquisite. - techobo, on 11/11/2008, -2/+11Sure it's installed on pretty much every computer in the world, but apart from seeing it every day, what is wrong with it? It is one of the most readable and legible typefaces ever designed. There's probably a reason why it's the default. :)
- R031E5, on 11/11/2008, -6/+15I'm sorry but, Times New Roman? Really?
- Elliuotatar, on 11/11/2008, -0/+8MAILBOX HOURGLASS FLAG! AIRPLANE SCISSORS STAR! MAILBOX! MAILBOX!! MAILBOX!!!
- PeppermintPig, on 11/11/2008, -2/+9Don't use free fonts, ever??! Sounds like something someone selling fonts would say! There are problems with many free fonts, but that doesn't mean they're all worthless.
If font designers put more energy into showing interested designers how to make good fonts, we'd have less bickering and more praise for fonts. Who's giving out free advice? I have several ideas for fonts, but I just don't create them because it's hard to find someone to teach the technical basics. I don't want to deal with font snobs who think they know style better than me and use that as a cudgel. - aimhelix, on 11/11/2008, -2/+8Those are great fonts but designers cannot soley rely on 'fonts' to come up with good designs. A lot of designers can draw nice shapes and paint pretty colors but lack the fluency in proper typograhy. This includes the little details that are often taken for granted like linespacing, letter spacing, kerning, etc.
Also, for anyone out there doing a design - stay with 2 fonts FFS. 3 if you have to.. but no more than that. - cadmiumpaint, on 11/11/2008, -0/+6here is the thing about over used fonts. There is nothing inherently wrong with them. Actually they are usually pretty damn awesome...thats why they get used so much. They just work across a broad spectrum of applications.
They just get associated with certain eras or certain kinds of work. Trajan right now is associated with movie posters. Like anything thats overused people (designers) get sick of seeing it. Thats prob why some people say it should die. If you choose to use it, you have to know that it will be a very trendy choice and will evoke certain kinds of associations.
Talk to an older designer and they'll tell you Helvetica is corporate, Avante Garde (esp. the ligatures) is totally 70s and Futura reminds them of the 50s. - Ganpachi, on 11/11/2008, -0/+5he linked to that here: http://www.10000words.net/2008/08/7-fonts-that-sho ...
- TheNik, on 11/11/2008, -0/+5Couldn't have said it better. Using those fonts properly is far more important than what font you're using.
I love type art, rly. - Elliuotatar, on 11/11/2008, -1/+6"Papyrus is used to communicate an ethnic or earthy tone. But because everyone uses it, now it just says lazy and unimaginative."
And yet he's now telling designers that they should stick to 20 or so boring fonts that everyone else uses. - MrNexus, on 11/11/2008, -0/+5Open mailbox.
- MeatMountain, on 11/11/2008, -6/+10Buried for no Zapf Dingbats.
- techobo, on 11/11/2008, -0/+4I think the author is more referring to professional use rather than casual use. I think that those websites that offer 1000s of free fonts are a great resource for people that just want to find something different. But when it comes to professional design, you will run into many problems ranging from limited character ranges to preflight problems when trying to send something to the printer.
- fwertz, on 11/11/2008, -0/+4TRAJAN!
- techobo, on 11/11/2008, -0/+4Fair enough. To Cambria's credit, it displays better on screen than Times New Roman. This is because TNR was designed for print without consideration for how it looks on screen. Generally, most serifed typefaces do not look good on computer displays because the serifs get distorted when set at small sizes. Cambria was designed to take into consideration how it would be displayed, and because of this choice, it will end up looking better on screen. But on paper Times New Roman is still the winner.
I did not digg your comment down. - cadmiumpaint, on 11/11/2008, -0/+4good point considering the article is aimed at beginners. =)
- techobo, on 11/11/2008, -0/+4It ISN'T hard to find information about the proper construction of typefaces. Go into pretty much any major bookstore and you will find what you are looking for.
An Essay on Typography — Eric Gill
The Elements of Typographic Style — Robert Bringhurst
Typographic Specimens: The Great Typefaces — Rob Carter - secrity, on 11/11/2008, -0/+4Something that is more important is to teach students to not use twenty different typefaces on the same page.
- inactive, on 11/12/2008, -0/+4FTA: "I think it’s a typography instructor’s duty to teach their students how to discern the differences between well and poorly made typefaces, and about the legalities of typeface licensing."
What are the legalities? I wish someone would explain this. Why is is that I can go to Veer and pay $100 for Times New Roman when it already comes with Windows? Do I have to pay some kind of royalty fee if I design a poster or website that uses Times New Roman? - jaythree9, on 11/11/2008, -0/+3"are mostly ones most designers throw away on sight" -- That is a flat out lie. Any designer worth their salt recognizes some of these as classic typefaces, especially Bembo, Garamond, Mrs Eaves, Bodoni, Clarendon, Franklin Gothic, Helvetica, Univers, Futura and Frutiger. In one of my typography classes all we ever used was Frutiger fer chirssake. It's what you do with them that matters. I would get rid of Jenson, Centaur, Didot, Minion.
- Elliuotatar, on 11/11/2008, -0/+3MAN!
- petster, on 11/11/2008, -0/+3So should I use Trajan or not? He links to http://www.10000words.net/2008/08/7-fonts-that-sho ... where it says Trajan should die and he also links to http://justcreativedesign.com/2008/09/23/top-7-fon ... where you can find that Trajan is one of the most used fonts in the industry.
- MonkeyNews, on 11/11/2008, -5/+8I understand it's totally wrong, morally questionable and illegal - but I simply refuse to pay hundreds of pounds/dollars for a font when I can download them for free.
- cadmiumpaint, on 11/11/2008, -0/+3if you're just messing around and making personal use things then its ok. When you're doing it for a living and producing professional work its a different story. It becomes a serious legal thing.
Tip: its not you who pays for the font...its the client. - grgcnnr, on 11/11/2008, -0/+2if you cant set it in helvetica, myriad, garamond , bodini or univers then you're doing it wrong
- ZeMeisterstuck, on 11/11/2008, -0/+2http://www.ilovecopperplategothicbold.com/
- vanityclaire, on 11/13/2008, -0/+2Copperplate Gothic.....?
Really...?
And no Meta? *sigh* - DigitalPimptres, on 11/13/2008, -0/+2You don't get all of the versions of Times New Roman with Windows. You get bold, normal and italic. There are others, for instance, Helvetica comes with Mac, but there are maybe hundreds of combinations of weight, styles and other versions of the Helvetica font.
I'm pretty sure you're able to use whatever comes with your computer, but technically, it's like stock photography, and if you use some downloaded font, you can get called on using something you don't have permission for if it has the right product placement and is noticed.
Most of the time, the fonts that come with your computer will not satisfy the taste for fonts us designers acquire for use in school for use in the real world. - Tollboi, on 11/11/2008, -0/+2I could not agree more. While this example is of decorative fonts, I always liked this font creator and many of his fonts are free.
http://www.misprintedtype.com/v4/ - MisterKen, on 11/11/2008, -0/+2These kinds of lists and limits are silly. I've been designing professionally for far more years than I would ever admit publicly and the list of typefaces I use changes constantly. The idea of 'sticking with the classics' limits your ability to design a solution that is right for the situation.
Thanks to the FontShop, House Industries and Veer, there are some wonderful new classics that keep things fresh.
Any list that includes Copperplate Gothic should be deemed suspicious. - csl5049, on 11/11/2008, -0/+2Does the same with Trajan
- jamesharris, on 11/11/2008, -0/+2Frutiger is on the list. He just spelled it wrong.
- jaythree9, on 11/11/2008, -0/+2Linotype is a foundry, not a typeface.
- jonathono2000, on 11/11/2008, -0/+2Really? I vomited when I read that guy's list. I would like to know at what studio he is allowed to call himself a designer with a list like that.
- 2of8, on 11/11/2008, -3/+4Eh. I'll take the new Office 2007 Cambria. It's much easier to read and looks fresh. I think the problem with Times New Roman (at least my problem) is that, right away, it looks dated.
- techobo, on 11/11/2008, -0/+1I guess I am not "most designers" then, because I use at least two of the listed typefaces daily.
- techobo, on 11/11/2008, -0/+1www.identifont.com
I agree. But to his credit, at least when I went to school, students were given examples of popular typefaces and had access to the Adobe Font Library. So it really wouldn't be difficult to check them out. - WYendrys, on 11/12/2008, -0/+1Dugg for Bodoni and Didot.
However, the list could use Zuzana Licko's, Filosofia, and Eric Gill's, Gill Sans. - asgardshill, on 11/11/2008, -1/+2If it ain't 10-point Arial it ain't *****.
(Off to light the candles under my Bill Gates statue in the alcove). - Jonh, on 11/13/2008, -0/+1Some opentype fonts contain thousands of glyphs and take several years to complete. It's just not the same as free fonts. I know some free fonts (Exljelbris for example; http://www.josbuivenga.demon.nl/anivers.html) are nice but they don't offer the same flexibility as pro.
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