Erik Spiekermann Most of the best typefaces didn’t come out of thin air, but were designed to solve a specific problem. And the best ones show that the designer had some fun doing them. Type design is not about the sixth decimal on a control point, nor about who designs the font with the most weights, the most Bezier points or the most exotic accents.
It is about sticking to time-honoured rules and habits for 95% of the work while adding that 5% surprise, beauty and joy not seen before. Just like all other design work. Type designers should look at other disciplines: at life, music, art, architecture and technology in order to connect with the real world.