What is Digg?106 Comments
- dignation, on 03/05/2009, -1/+75There's a special level in hell for people like you.
- JustCreative, on 03/05/2009, -3/+29Sorry for site being down guys, original German publication can be found here: http://www.100besteschriften.de/
Also try this mirror site: http://www.duggback.com/design/The_Top_100_Best_Fo ...
My article below:
Based on a German website, these are the top 100 best fonts of all time.
To say the least, ranking fonts is an obviously hard task... how does one measure aesthetic quality, the benefit of an item, its value to humanity and so fourth?
Well, in this particular German publication, the judges ranked the fonts by their objective and various other weighted measurements:
FontShop Sales Figures: 40%
Historical Value/Meaning: 30%
Aesthetic Qualities: 30%
It is also worth noting that this evaluation consisted exclusively of licensed or commercial fonts only. Free fonts or operating system fonts were not considered, nor were fonts integral to standard software (i.e. Arial, Verdana, etc.). Font variations, which over the centuries have been individually interpreted by various Foundries, were uniquely evaluated as a class and the best variant was entered into the main judging process.
Below is a a preview of the top 33 fonts and beneath this image you can find the full list of the 100 best fonts.
(Image can't be shown here)
Top 100 Best Fonts Of All Time
Below you will find a list of the best 100 fonts along with the year in which they were designed, and the designer who designed each font.
1. Helvetica [1957 - Max Miedinger]
2. Garamond [1530 - Claude Garamond]
3. Frutiger [1977 - Adrian Frutiger]
4. Bodoni [1970 - Giambattista Bodoni]
5. Futura [1927 - Paul Renner]
6. Times [1931 - Stanley Morison]
7. Akzidenz Grotesk [1966 - G nter Gerhard Lange]
8. Officina [1990 - Erik Spiekermann]
9. Gill Sans [1930 - Eric Gill]
10. Univers [1954 - Adrian Frutiger]
11. Optima [1954 - Hermann Zapf]
12. Franklin Gothic [1903 - Morris Fuller Benton]
13. Bembo [1496 - Francesco Griffo]
14. Interstate [1993 - Tobias Frere-Jones]
15. Thesis [1994 - Lucas de Groot]
16. Rockwell [1934 - Frank H. Pierpont]
17. Walbaum [1800 - Justus Walbaum]
18. Meta [1991 - Erik Spiekermann]
19. Trinit [1982 - Bram De Does]
20. Din [1926 - Ludwig Goller]
21. Matrix [1986 - Zuzana Licko]
22. OCR [1965 - American Type Founders]
23. Avant Garde [1968 - Herb Lubalin]
24. Lucida [1985 - Chris Holmes / Charles Bigelow]
25. Sabon [1964 - Jan Tschichold]
26. Zapfino [1998 - Hermann Zapf]
27. Letter Gothic [1956 - Roger Roberson]
28. Stone [1987 - Summer Stone]
29. Arnhem [1998 - Fred Smeijers]
30. Minion [1990 - Robert Slimbach]
31. Myriad [1992 - Twombly & Slimbach]
32. Rotis [1988 - Olt Aicher]
33. Eurostile [1962 - Aldo Novarese]
34. Scala [1991 - Martin Majoor]
35. Syntax [1968 - Hans Eduard Meier]
36. Joanna [1930 - Eric Gill]
37. Fleishmann [1997 - Erhard Kaiser]
38. Palatino [1950 - Hermann Zapf]
39. Baskerville [1754 - John Baskerville]
40. Fedra [2002 - Peter Bil'ak]
41. Gotham [2000 - Tobias Frere-Jones]
42. Lexicon [1992 - Bram De Does]
43. Hands [1991 - Letterror]
44. Metro [1929 - W. A. Dwiggins]
45. Didot [1799 - Firmin Didot]
46. Formata [1984 - Bernd M llenst dt]
47. Caslon [1725 - William Caslon]
48. Cooper Black [1920 - Oswald B. Cooper]
49. Peignot [1937 - A. M. Cassandre]
50. Bell Gothic [1938 - Chauncey H. Griffith]
51. Antique Olive [1962 - Roger Excoffon]
52. Wilhelm Klngspor Gotisch [1926 - Rudolf Koch]
53. Info [1996 - Erik Spiekermann]
54. Dax [1995 - Hans Reichel]
55. Proforma [1988 - Petr van Blokland]
56. Today Sans [1988 - Volker K ster]
57. Prokyon [2002 - Erhard Kaiser]
58. Trade Gothic [1948 - Jackson Burke]
59. Swift [1987 - Gerald Unger]
60. Copperplate Gothic [1901 - Frederic W. Goudy]
61. Blur [1992 - Neville Brody]
62. Base [1995 - Zuzana Licko]
63. Bell Centennial [1978 - Matthew Carter]
64. News Gothic [1908 - Morris Fuller Benton]
65. Avenir [1988 - Adrian Frutiger]
66. Bernhard Modern [1937 - Lucian Bernhard]
67. Amplitude [2003 - Christian Schwartz]
68. Trixie [1991 - Erik van Blokland]
69. Quadraat [1992 - Fred Smeijers]
70. Neutraface [2002 - Christian Schwartz]
71. Nobel [1929 - Sjoerd de Roos]
72. Industria [1990 - Neville Brody]
73. Bickham Script [1997 - Richard Lipton]
74. Bank Gothic [1930 - Morris Fuller Benton]
75. Corporate ASE [1989 - Kurt Weidemann]
76. Fago [2000 - Ole Schafer]
77. Trajan [1989 - Carol Twombly]
78. Kabel [1927 - Rudolf Koch]
79. House Gothic 23 [1995 - Tal Leming]
80. Kosmik [1993 - Letterror]
81. Caecilia [1990 - Peter Matthias Noordzij]
82. Mrs Eaves [1996 - Zuzana Licko]
83. Corpid [1997 - Lucas de Groot]
84. Miller [1997 - Matthew Carter]
85. Souvenir [1914 - Morris Fuller Benton]
86. Instant Types [1992 - Just van Rossum]
87. Clarendon [1845 - Benjamin Fox]
88. Triplex [1989 - Zuzana Licko]
89. Benguiat [1989 - Ed Benguiat]
90. Zapf Renaissance [1984 - Hermann Zapf]
91. Filosofia [1996 - Zuzana Licko]
92. Chalet [1996 - House Industries]
93. Quay Sans [1990 - David Quay]
94. C zanne [1995 - Michael Want, James Grieshaber]
95. Reporter [1938 - Carlos Winkow]
96. Legacy [1992 - Ronald Arnholm]
97. Agenda [1993 - Greg Thompson]
98. Bello [2004 - Underware]
99. Dalliance [2000 - Frank Heine]
100. Mistral [1953 - Roger Excoffon] - novemberdream07, on 03/05/2009, -4/+28http://www.bancomicsans.com
- smaisch, on 03/05/2009, -3/+20Those of you who find these fonts "boring" clearly do not have the appreciation for what it takes to create a letter form. I suspect that those who find these boring enjoy using fonts such as "Chiller" and "Ransom." I know that the majority of you probably won't care about this, but I would seriously recommend watching the Helvetica documentary.
http://www.helveticafilm.com/ - ZincSaucier, on 03/05/2009, -2/+19hey all these fonts look the same!
- MScrip, on 03/05/2009, -1/+16Correction:
"In a world, without movie posters..."
- Don LaFontaine - liquisoft, on 03/05/2009, -0/+15This list is spot-on.
I was expecting to read it and disagree with it in its entirety, simply because 95% of "designers" on the web don't know ***** about type but still like to act like they're knowledgeable. I was happily mistaken. Great list! - idc5, on 03/05/2009, -1/+142. Garamond [1530 - Claude Garamond]
1530 , holy crap!! - WYendrys, on 03/05/2009, -1/+8I'm glad to finally see a "top font" list on digg that includes Bodoni, Didot, Filosofia, Futura and Gill Sans.
- rayde, on 03/05/2009, -3/+10Futura > all.
-signed, Stanley Kubrick, Wes Anderson, and me. - WYendrys, on 03/05/2009, -1/+7The problem with a lot of web designers, is they totally ignore the art of type, and just use helvetica or some free, themed font off the internet. It's a shame really.
The Helvetica movie is rather great (I have it on DVD). - alpha88, on 03/05/2009, -0/+6Neue Helvetica is just a slightly revised Helvetica.
- ultrafez, on 03/05/2009, -0/+5Can you think of better names? Let me guess, you'd call it something like "MEGA FONT 62"
- SuperCujo, on 03/05/2009, -0/+5I wonder who watched a certain docco...
- alpha88, on 03/05/2009, -0/+5I think Helvetica is far superior to Akzidenz Grotesk. Sure, it's based on Akzidenz, but that just makes it more refined.
I agree it's a victim of its own success though. A lot of people believe Helvetica is "boring", but only because it's used for everything and anything due to its legibility and neutrality. But when it's used correctly, Helvetica can be terrific.
Gotham is also nice, but far too new to be compared to most of the fonts on the top 100 list – most of which have been around for decades and stood the test of time. - petemorley, on 03/05/2009, -1/+5Actual answer:
Different typefaces can convey different meanings, be they subliminal or deliberate. For example, a lot of Law firms will use a Modern or Transitional Serif in their logos or corporate communications to convey professionalism and authority. If you're designing purely for screen it's best to stick to a sans-serif for legibility.
An obvious example of using the wrong font for the wrong application would be the sheer amount of corporate emails sent out in Cominc Sans. It's comes across as unprofessional and childish.
Typefaces like Helvetica are used everywhere because their shape and simplicity don't distract from the message. Most road signs tend to plump for Helvetica because it's such a clean, well spaced font. - Chumbuh1, on 03/05/2009, -0/+4I always thought Bodoni was underrated, glad to see its getting some recognition
- cadmiumpaint, on 03/05/2009, -2/+6a lot of those designers on the web only know the names of popular freebie fonts.....wich are just crappy copies of real fonts.
- smaisch, on 03/05/2009, -0/+4That's mainly because the limitations of type on the web; you have about five faces to pick from.
sIFR is a good alternative, but far from a silver bullet.
Image replacement hinders usability.
I'm glad I gave up primarily designing for the web a while ago. :) - matriculated, on 03/05/2009, -0/+3These are typefaces, not fonts.
- wendall911, on 03/05/2009, -1/+4Many of the font authors on the list have fascinating stories. Intelligent and very creative folks. The list is exceptional with the names of the authors included. Some of the people on the list are responsible for thousands of other fonts, either directly, or indirectly.
- WYendrys, on 03/05/2009, -1/+4I couldn't have said it any better myself.
It's rare for me to come across a well written, or accurate design article here on digg. It's all web based design - which isn't a crime or anything, but it shouldn't be considered the same as graphic design, type design, etc.
Hats off to you and your comment. - alpha88, on 03/06/2009, -0/+3Road signs use Interstate Bold, in all caps, and spaced waaay apart. Studies show it's the most legible and easy to read while moving quickly.
And for the record, using Comic Sans for anything, ever, should get you hanged. - alpha88, on 03/05/2009, -0/+3Microsoft does not use Helvetica. Why do you think they created a copy of it (albeit, a bad copy) called Arial?
- srg13, on 03/05/2009, -0/+3Why don't you just post a whiny comment about it then? Oh, wait...
- consie, on 03/05/2009, -1/+4whoosh.
- souLLy, on 03/06/2009, -0/+2With Opentype this sort of thing is commonplace anyway, check out Bickham and see what I mean
- wakeupsticky, on 03/05/2009, -0/+2You forgot /s
- srg13, on 03/05/2009, -1/+3"Why cant I put up a sign using any font I want?"
Are you talking about the actual art of typography (as petemorely explained), or the legality of using a particular typeface in something that is displayed publicly? - srg13, on 03/05/2009, -0/+2One of the best things about Calibri is that now maybe everyone will stop using Monotype's dodgy Helvetica knock-off (Arial).
- srg13, on 03/05/2009, -1/+3Hate to break it to you, but Scrabble is not really the only time when words are made by putting different letters together. It's kind of the whole point of words...
- Clumber, on 03/05/2009, -0/+2if i was less lazy i would create 100 more Digg personalities solely to digg you up. Take the rest of the week off, you have earned it.
- herrshuster, on 03/05/2009, -4/+6Not loading for me. Mirror?
- herrshuster, on 03/05/2009, -1/+3Trajan really is a good font. it's just overused
- Billions, on 03/05/2009, -1/+3If you have to ask, you won't understand. I suggest you just use what you want, and tell people you're going DaDa because you're sick of the reverence for typesetting.
- Ellipsys, on 03/05/2009, -1/+3So where's that $20,000+ font that was posted on here awhile ago? It was some sort of script that altered letter design based on those around them.
- Billions, on 03/05/2009, -0/+2Well, you can name the fonts you design something more '***** Sudoku' like some "Connect Four *****" then. Show us all.
- alpha88, on 03/05/2009, -1/+3@smaisch: You don't have many typefaces on the web, but that's just for body copy. What about headers and things that can use images? That's where a lot of web designers place free fonts with little consideration to anything even remotely typography related.
I also own Helvetica, great documentary. - gkm314, on 03/05/2009, -5/+7Helvetica is EVERYWHERE. NYC transit system, American Apparel, Crate and Barrel, AT&T, Jeep, American Airlines, even Microsoft. I, for one Welcome our new Helvetican Overlords.
- Billions, on 03/05/2009, -0/+2I respect the thorough research and resources offered for each choice, it's great. But I don't like all of the choices - which is totally OK, we all have our own go-to fonts and we are not all the same.
- SuperCujo, on 03/05/2009, -1/+3Because sometimes it does not work.
- purepleasure, on 03/16/2009, -0/+1Awesome article, great collection.
- inactive, on 03/05/2009, -1/+2Why? Anyone who uses MS Word knows about fonts. So that includes about 70% of the working population and all schoolkids.
- findhostcoupons, on 03/14/2009, -0/+1Good list of fonts! I have found them very informative!
- souLLy, on 03/06/2009, -1/+2I cringe when I hear the word font, it's almost a certainty that the person using it doesn't really know about typography, that said this article is surprisingly okay, no selections from dafont and none of the usual cool free font of the moment stuff- that said it's a pretty predictable list.
- geodebug, on 03/06/2009, -0/+1Have to admit you are right. Was feeling bitchy that day I guess.
- alpha88, on 03/06/2009, -0/+1Nope, because they're terrible.
- srg13, on 03/05/2009, -1/+2http://www.goodiebag.tv/episodes/06_trajan_is_the_ ...
- petemorley, on 03/09/2009, -1/+2@ alpha88 is that in the US? We use transport in the UK, derived from Helvetica.
-
Show 51 - 100 of 109 discussions
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is