Have you noticed it’s autumn? Or you’re still daydreaming about summer? Either way, it’s good to know that we’ve been keeping an eye on the online, and we’ve just picked some of this week’s most interesting articles about typography, design and the like. Remember? In other words, it’s weekend, it’s harvest time! What is Swiss Style Typography? And what do you know about it? The kind of question that always comes in handy. Do you know for instance that though this famous design style isn’t originally Swiss-made, the touch of the country is still present even to the smallest detail of the design? Well, now you know. But you’ll find out more exciting insights if you read this particular article. The history of famous… types: fascinating. Wanna bet? 10 Super Useful Tools for Better Web Typography You’ve probably heard before the one about web design being 95% typography, right? Well, the good thing is that with the growing popularity of web fonts and modern CSS techniques, web designers should find this task easier, especially since posts like this one roundup super useful tools to help me, you, them create better typography. Good luck! Scrabble Typography Edition Chances are you are both into typography and word games, so this special edition Scrabble set should be to your liking. It features fifteen fonts never before seen on the classic board game. Of course, it doesn’t come free of charge, but it might be the perfect gift for certain font enthusiasts. The Top 40 Typography Apps Typographers, here you have some of the most essential font apps that can make your type-oriented life a little easier and in some cases a lot more fun. The app world is brimming with ways to improve your typography skills, so make the most of it. Fingers crossed! And don’t forget to have fun too. 7 Tips to Load Google Web Fonts Faster Here’s something for the ‘practical advice’ section. It starts with a simple question: How can you make Google Fonts load faster on your site? The answer comes with revealing screenshots and details. Bookmark it! Amazing Typography Print Designs of 2013 Let’s end in style, with some of the best typography print designs of 2013. You’ll easily notice they are outstanding in appearance and superb in nature. Inspiring material. Enjoy! Have a great weekend!    

As promised before, we’re returning with an update on new books about design, in general, and types in particular. After browsing through the virtual shelves, we’ve picked a couple of titles about typefaces that changed the world, those in the urban landscape and last, but not least, those in magazines. These are fresh titles discussing old and new fonts alike. Handle with care. And curiosity. Enjoy! Design Museum Fifty Typefaces That Changed The World This book, published in September 2013, under Typography & Lettering, explores 50 of the most influential typefaces out there, in the world, and shows them in use on posters, perfume packaging, buildings and more. Written by John L Waters, it is an insightful exploration of the digital revolution that has made typesetters of us all as we define our identities through the typefaces we choose to communicate with the world. Believe it or not, this is book of stories too. For instance, you’ll find out the one of Gotham - the typeface used in Obama’s first presidential campaign. Needless to say, the book is full of visual treats too. All in all, it sounds like a must for all typography afficionado. The Field Guide to Typography: Typefaces in the Urban Landscape Also published in September, "The Field Guide to Typography" is a comprehensive celebration of the expanding typographic world written by Peter Dawson and Stephen Coles. It explores and explains the myriad typefaces that we see around us in our day-to-day lives, from airplane liveries to computer screens, from billboard hoardings to signage systems. The book managed to bring together over 120 typefaces old and new, common and unusual with photographic references to help font spotters identify particular typefaces in the wild. Accompanying background information explains the origin, usage and key features of each typeface, and Field Facts provide little-known nuggets of information to expand your typographical awareness. So, this book has two major qualities: it is attractive, but also informative. It works as a visual reference for novice font fans, but also experienced designers. The Modern Magazine: Visual Journalism in the Digital Age: Visual Journalism in the Digital Era The last ten years of magazine publishing have been rather troubled, but this was also a period of rapid innovation, providing a vital record of the eras diverse visual trends. "The Modern Magazine" is not a surprise, it’s a necessity given the present global situation of magazines publishing. It explores the issues now facing the industry, examining changes to the basic discipline of combining text and image for the global, Internet-savvy consumer. And it features some of the best editorial design, looking in particular at how magazines have adapted to respond to digital media. The book looks at key developments in the field, interviewing a broad range of specialists to discover their understandings of the current state of the industry and how different areas of publishing influence each other. Again, you’ll have the pleasure of browsing through great visuals and genuine insight into the process of magazines creation. Great resource for designers, as it also discusses new developments and trends, links to blogs, and more.    

Have you ever been asked to do some types for… music? I’m talking about the word itself here. Because the truth is that this particular one carries the sweet burden of sound that needs to be turned into visuals. You have to admit that it can be quite a challenge, although probably not as hard as setting types TO music. But let’s not slip into surrealism, and stick to collecting some inspiration for creating types that ring more than just a bell. Probably the most common association people make is between funky fonts and music, but there are infinite possibilities. The examples below should give you a good idea of what imagination can do for those who have design skills and a good ear for music. Let’s see, because music does have a special way of creeping up on a designer’s mind. Enjoy! If music is good… Musical Bauhaus Music Bands Playing Objects Music for the Soul Music Vision Grammy Typography - Radiohead’s Thom Yorke Grammy Typography - Stevie Wonder Electronic Music Feel the Filth Typography is like Music Colorful Music  

Games that help you learn the history of typography, beer coasters designed as conversation pieces, typography to help people understand dyslexia, hand-made typography projects, fonts that kill designs, and more in today’s round-up. Sophisticated fonts and creative restlessness run through these past couple of weeks. Take a closer look: Learn the History of Typography Through Type:Rider Even if you’re one of those ‘font fanatics’ who knows Gary Hustwit’s Helvetica by heart, you’ll still learn something while playing Type:Rider. Not to mention that it comes with lots of fun on the side. Available for iOS and Android, the game guides players through the history of typography as two dots travelling over different font characters, solving riddles and unlocking the history behind typefaces. The app is a clean-cut ode to the more attentive and beautiful side of typography. Once the player has explored all of the game’s ten worlds, the power-up pages come together to form an e-book for future reference. Fingers crossed! For Lovers Of Beer And Typography: ‘Beer Press’ Coasters This is a good example of someone combining four passions - design, typography, letterpress and beer - into one product: ‘Beer Press’ coasters. These six drink coasters are also sleekly designed conversation pieces. Each coaster is imprinted with a different typographic beer-related design, and delicately handcrafted by a vintage 1960s letterpress. It surely adds a new dimension to the banal ‘having a beer’. Cheers! Graphic Designer Uses Beautiful Typography To Help People Understand Dyslexia Ever wondered what’s it like to be dyslexic? You can find out by reading this book. Using stylish typography, graphic designer Sam Barclay forms passages from the book ‘The Small Pleasures of Life’ to express how a dyslexic person would struggle with reading. Have a look! Handmade Typography Projects That Will Inspire You It’s always a pleasure to see artists combining analog and digital workflows, isn’t it? The imperfect lines created by a designer’s hands lends a certain uniqueness to a project. While the digital workflows an artist employs provides a level of polish and control, allowing a project to have a truly professional and deliberate look. In this post you’ll get to see some great hand-made typographic projects. Enjoy! Fonts that Kill Designs - Typography Mistakes to Avoid This article tries to identify some of the common typography mistakes designers make in the font selection process. It even goes through the methodology of selecting fonts. In the sea of fonts out there, this set of tips comes quite handy. Playtype Typography Posters This Danish concept store has an impressive collection of posters and other various products devoted to all things in the matter of printed letters and words. Check out how some typefaces are turned into bonafide works of art. It must be love. For typography, of course. Doing Responsive Typography Responsive typography makes it possible to serve typographic compositions that adapt to fit their various environments, resizing, reflowing as necessary to best serve the reader, whether they’re viewing the content on a phone, a cathode ray tube, a large display, in print, or something in between. In this article, a simple example of responsive typography is taken apart to see how it actually works. Exploration never hurt anyone. Go for it!

Today we’re doing a different round up, as we’re taking a closer look at interesting graphic design articles too. You’ll find tips, tools, tricks, but also some typography goodies. We couldn’t help it. Always ready for some funky fonts. By the way, do you know the scent of Helvetica? Helvetica The Perfume: The Scent of Nothing Good packaging sells. Agree? At least that’s what the author of this article thinks after experiencing Helvetica The Perfume. The temptation to buy a bottle just to stare at is strong. But see for yourself what great website, good design, nice colors, and great packaging can do. From Idea to Product: The Graphic Design Process A picture is worth a thousand words, but have we ever given it that many? Here’s an interesting conversation with two experienced freelance graphic artists about what it takes to make a great design. Please comment below if you want to share your own experience. Cheers! 5 Tips on How to Design an iPhone App Icon An icon is actually really important because good design can get the user to try out an app, and besides, this little image is the first thing they will see any time they use the app. Therefore, the icon design should be approached very carefully because it truly is the face of the app. Now here are some useful tips to help you with it. It’s all in the details, and you - as a typography fan - know this already. Wink wink. Six Best Free Online Graphic Design Tools OK, you can’t entirely recreate the power of Photoshop with an online editor or mobile app, yet powerful and free image editors available offer more features than the majority of non-professional photographers need. Here are several great image editors and other design programs that are available online through your browser and are completely free. Rejoice! In Graphic Designing, Let The Brain Do Its Trick What is the term brain storming and why it is used here and what it has to do with graphic designing? The answer might seem obvious, but this article could help a bit more for those really into it. 18 Insanely Addictive Font Games This is the fun part of our round-up: font games! This selection of online and mobile font games will help test and expand both your knowledge and identification skills. You know, exploring the history and use of typefaces, as well as typographic theory doesn’t have to be boring. Let the game begin! Web Design Quotes: Wisdom Inside We like quotes too. Maybe because they can express what we know, recognize, feel, believe, think, accept, imagine, hope, fear, desire, acknowledge, and/or have experienced as a life truth. The best thing about quotes is that they can answer the question we have, in a way that we want. So let’s see what ‘wisenheimers’ got to say about web design. Grab some wisdom. And have a fab weekend!

It’s not because winter is here, and because in some parts everything is already covered in white, it’s because rummaging through black and white typography sometimes can be more refreshing and inspiring than you can imagine. It all makes more sense, the types jump off the page and their striking beauty is matched only by the message they convey. Here and there you’ll come across fine shades of blue, and grey, but you’re really on B&W soil. Distorted fonts or not, they’re all black and white in the beginning. Aren’t they? Enjoy! By the way, feel free to share your favorite B&W typography designs. We’d love to add them to our collection. Ink Art or Science Black & White Good Advice League Nike You Lace Raw Simple Berlin Punk Mancini Paris

It’s December already. So much to do, so little time. But hey, in these merry busy times, we’re pretty sure you’ll find time to take a look at some of the most important online articles on typography published in the last couple of weeks. Beautiful typography, amazing calligraphy and calligraphers, tools to identify fonts, and more. Enjoy! The Most Beautiful Typefaces From This Past Month Maybe not ‘the most’, but definitely some very handsome ones. Here’s another fantastic batch of type. For your inspiration, of course. 4 Great Tools for Identifying Fonts & 3 Bonus Font-Related Goodies If you agree that the font you choose can add to the impact of your copy, then you’ll find this post most useful. These tools are a great resource for designers, and can help you save a lot of time in identifying the typeface you’re looking for. Take a look. You might want to bookmark it too. Playing With Type. For the Love of Wood Type Inspiring article written by Lara McCormick, the author of Playing with Type: 50 Graphic Experiments for Exploring the Creative Impact of Typographic Design Principles. She is currently the chair of graphic design at the New Hampshire Institute of Art. For the love of wood type, take a look. Websites Using Beautiful Typography You’ve got to agree that a lot of thought, experimentation and trials go into type design, thus, for a successful and cohesive web design, the principles of typography are important to understand. So, here’s a guide to help you get started in learning the different aspects of type design, and a showcase of websites using beautiful typography. The Secrets of Great Web Typography This article focuses on how to craft typography for the web. It explores ideas on making good decisions with type, and how sweating the details of typography, browser idiosyncrasies and delivery is actually part of the design process. Brian Warren runs through some ideas and lessons learned along the way. It’s all about attention to detail and a passion for the craft, right? 15 Must Follow Calligraphers on Dribbble Calligraphy is a rather exclusive art, something not many people do or are able to do because it takes a great deal of skill. In an effort to bring some awareness to this fine art, this article gathers 15 great Calligraphers that you should follow on Dribbble (or just follow in general). Follow them or just enjoy their work. And don’t forget to share your own favourite articles of the week. Oh, and make your December amazing.      

Special characters, redesigned famous logos, typefaces made of paint stroke, and much more. Plus another list of some of the best fonts of this year. Keep them coming! Enjoy! The Designer’s Guide to Special Characters When it comes to clear writing, the importance of the mechanics of spelling, grammar, and proper punctuation are always stressed. However, for some reason, the importance of using the correct typographic special characters is often overlooked. So, it’s time for designers to stand-up and use the right typographic marks for the job. Here’s a quick run-through some of the important symbols you should be using. You’ll also find a handy table of common typographic marks for reference. Infographic: 16 Different Elements of Typography What makes up a letter? Diane Kelly Nuguid put together this infographic to provide insight into the 10 different parts of a letter in typography. For beginners, but not only. Definitely something to keep for future reference. 85+ Redesigns of Famous Logos Here is a vast collection of some of the world’s most renowned logos, revamped from different perspectives. You will find fonts twitched, while some artwork or text replaced. Despite being redesigned, some logos still hold the essence. What do you reckon? Do they convey the same message? Or at least a similar one? Graphic Design Studio Creates a Gorgeous Typeface Made of Paint Strokes Here’s a great studio experiment created by London-based graphic design studio Sawdust: a gorgeous paint typeface. Using acrylic paint, by folding clear strips and manipulating shadows, designers Rob Gonzalez and Jonathan Quainton examine ‘dimensionality’. Pursuing personal work and having fun even while producing content for the commercial world? Sounds like a win win situation. Quickest Way to Get List of Font Names in any Font Family There are many ways to get a list of fonts names for a font family on iOS, for example: looping or via block. However, here is another approach, that promises to be much quicker, with just two lines in the LLDB debugger. Take a look. The Best Fonts of 2013 It looks like 2013 has been a bumper year for type design, that’s why in this article you’ll find a rather interesting list of the best fonts in the last 12 months. The eagle eyed amongst you will notice there are no winners for December. With the month only half-way through, there’s still plenty of time for new designs to appear. Check out the selection and nominate your own winners. Thanks! And have a fabulous new week!

We’re hours away from the New Year, but we still feel like taking one last look at 2013. Particularly the last two weeks, since we last talked. Today: more resources, trends to leave behind, old typo feuds, inspiration and even exciting… fails. Resources And Tools That Will Make Typography Easy To Work With This comes handy for those web designers on the look-out for new techniques. Especially for those who are very particular about their work and the reputation that follows them. Long story short, in this article you’ll find a few good typography resources that can help you create better typography. Fingers crossed! How to Get Really Good at Typography in One Month Good typography is more than just choosing a favorite font, right? It’s setting and arranging type in a way that is legible and pleasing for viewers. If you want to efficiently make typography one of your skills, without having to become an expert web designer, follow this guide. It promises to take you through a weekly process of becoming a great typographer in one month. Angst, Imagination, and the Ray Gun Effect: a History of Grunge Typography There’s a new debate about grunge typography. You’ve probably noticed some pro and against articles. This one sends you to a couple of interesting reads, like that one in The Awl which dives in to the ’80s and ’90s typography revolution that thrived on messy, heavy type to express every emotion that the wayward generation of the time was feeling. Arial vs. Helvetica We’ve all heard of the Arial and Helvetica typefaces, and have most likely used them both. Graphic designers either love or hate the designs. What’s the story behind these two polarizing typeface designs? Read on. Calendar of Fails  Today’s era of hi-fi reproduction and digital copying has left little room for individuality, making the error zone into a testing ground for everything individual, one-of-a kind or special. Agree? If yes, then you’ll definitely enjoy this calendar of fails designed by Streetart Agency in cooperation with Format Publishing House. Don’t miss the list of principles. 26 Creative Handwriting Lettering Examples for Inspiration This modern collection is for your inspiration. You’ll come across handmade, design lettering, calligraphic quotes and illustrated typography. Enjoy! 10 Web Design Trends to Leave Behind in 2014 The authors of this article seem quite optimistic: 2014 will definitely be an exciting year for web design. What do you reckon? And what about the the trends that should be left behind? Well, until you make up your mind, here you have some web design trends some people want to wave goodbye. Now enjoy the party and have a fabulous New Year!

Less is more (part 2). This is a follow-up to this post. Continue reading...Continue Reading: 28 Minimalist Web Designs