The concept of typeface family has been challenged several times in history. Nowadays we start to see different approaches to what a typeface family can be. We will reflect on the type family from a designer’s point of view but also from the market point of view. We will look into on how the market and the design trends influence many design decisions. We will analyze examples of different takes on the typeface family today. Technology has provided us with new tools and possibilities on how to produce a typeface family. The software allows us to use the Multiple Master technology and form families with eight masters efficiently, and now with the new Variable Font format, we can go further in the concept of axes and variations. But just because we are allowed to create superfamilies, this does not mean that this is the best solution every time. We will look into new ways to think about a typeface family and what kind of questions one should ask before starting a project. In conclusion, we are looking for ways to be more in tune with the user and the market when designing a new typeface.
Date
Wednesday, September 12th 2018
How to rethink the typeface family in the context of the market
Speaker
Joana Correia
Joana Correia graduated from the MA Typeface Design program at Reading in 2011. Since then, she has worked as a freelance type designer in collaboration with other type designers. In 2018, Correia founded her own type foundry, Nova Type. She has taught type design at ESAD, and at Matosinhos from 2011–2017. Correia has given lectures and workshops around Europe, such as at the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology in Warsaw as a visiting teacher, and at FEED, organized by the Associación Galega de Diseño. Correia’s most recent work includes the typefaces Artigo, Laca, and Artigo Display, available at Nova Type.