Type Foundry – FontShop

FontShop is a type foundry based in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in 1990 by typographers Joan Spiekermann, Erik Spiekermann, and Neville Brody. Since then, they have organized numerous publications and conferences and have even expanded into the US. They sell a wide range of typefaces ranging from serif to sans serif and even script and calligraphic fonts. Some of their most popular ones are actually variations of popular and commonly-used typefaces such as Futura and Helvetica, and this was one thing that I found surprising. Along with displaying typefaces for sale, their website also has a blog with news and updates, as well as a section to sample and try out typefaces that you like.

You can visit the FontShop page by clicking here!

Type Foundry: HvD Fonts

HvD Fonts is a foundry based in Germany. The foundry was started by a young Hannes von Döhren and became an established type foundry in 2008. The goal for HvD Fonts is to deliver fonts of the highest quality. The company has worked on design projects with Wal-Mart, Hyundai, Nordstrom, MasterCard and Volkswagen and HvD Fonts has won a few awards. Their site has fonts available for anyone to purchase as well as a portfolio of the work they have don’t for companies.

Commercial Type

“A type foundry is a company that designs or distributes typefaces. Before desktop publishing, type foundries manufactured and sold metal and wood typefaces and matrices for line-casting machines like the Linotype and Monotype machines designed to be used with letterpress printers.” – Wikipedia.

As a designer, it is important to support refreshing type design- it can be a great source of inspiration. Type foundries are companies that provide viewers with a digital lookbook of a variety of typefaces.  One of the many type foundries I found attractive is called Commercial Type.

Commercial is a joint project out of New York and London created by Paul Barnes and Christian Schwartz.  The two have collaborated and created various award-winning typeface projects since 2004.  Their website publishes typefaces to be sold which are developed by their staff, outside collaborators, as well as Schwartz and Barnes themselves.

The website features a premium array of professional, charismatic typefaces, all available for purchase. The website also offers other content such as a typeface-related newsfeed, merchandise shop, a detailed note about licenses, and a rainbow-colored, animated page dedicated to showcasing the fonts available on the site.

I found this page to be the most creative- one is able to select a typeface of choice and enter a last name and number to be displayed in the different font families available in the selected font, as well as a random selection of color scheme to help the viewer visualize it being used in a project. Each font selection will lead you to a unique, interactive display of your text.

For example, “Druk” page gives you your text displayed in all caps, lowercase, or a fill-the-page bold option. “Duplicate Ionic” pictured above will duplicate your text across the page. “Dala Floda” on the other hand provides one with their text displayed at the press of a piano note… each note sounds and displays your choice of word toggling between font families (picture below).  What a fun way to not only view, but play with typeface.

I found this site to be extensive in its quality and showcasing ability. No wonder the typefaces prices are so steep.

Fatype Type Foundry

Fatype is an independent type foundry established by Anton Koovit and Yassin Baggar. They were involved in designed a custom typefaces for Google, Lancel, Condé Nast (GQ France) and Balenciaga. Fatype distributes quality, taylor-made fonts and offers its know-how for the creation of logotypes and letters, the customization of existing of existing typefaces, and language extensions. In their collection you can find ten quality families.

The fonts cycle through a sampling of each of their styles in their previews.

Feel free to check out their high-quality, modern designs, here.

Milieu Grotesque

After researching type houses and foundries, I came across Milieu Grotesque. Milieu Grotesque is an independent type foundry and distributor of digital typefaces that was established in 2010 in Santo Isidoro, Portugal. This foundry focuses on offering typefaces that offer high design flexibility and are routinely updated. Milieu Grotesque was originally founded by Timo Gaessner and Alexander Colby who are graphic and type designers. This foundry really stood out to be through it’s versatile and fun designs that are featured on the website.

 

Type Houses and Foundries

Upon my virtual journey in type houses and foundries, I came across Milieu Grotesque. I was immediately sold at first glance of the website. With such a modern font, Milieu Grotesque’s kept that same energy with their main website

https://www.milieugrotesque.com/

There are a variety of styles in this house. There is
Boutique, Brezel Grotesk, Chapeau, Generika, Lacrima, Maison, Maison Neue, and Patron. There website is much like a virtual Type Speicmen Book.

https://www.milieugrotesque.com/specimen/boutique/

Klim Type

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Klim Type Foundry is an independent typeface design studio founded in 2005 by Kris Sowersby. Kris is based in Wellington, New Zealand and has designed custom fonts for clients such as PayPal and National Geographic. On their Fonts In Use page, it shows the numerous customers using their fonts. One of their custom fonts that really caught my eye, Hokotohu, was created for DNA Design to promote the Chatham Islands and the uniqueness of its culture.

Gill Sans Type House

Gill Sans was designed by Eric Gill and released by Monotype in 1928-1930. The design of this font type can be traced back to one of Gill’s teachers Edward Johnston.

It was an instant success, with its use of the classical g, and a’s it allowed a modern look with a classical feel. Due to its clean design, and easy readability. It began getting a lot of use in London and North Eastern trail-ways, and eventually being used for the British Railway.

Eventually in 1997 the BBC channel used it within its logo. As well as Midlands TV company Carlton.

Between the rounded edges of the c, e, and f and the classical looks of the a, and g. Gill Sans dodges the Roman feel, and brings on the hybrid modern look.

Type House and Foundry: Grilli Type

While exploring type foundries, Grilli Type stood out to me. Grilli Type is an independent Swiss type foundry that started in late 2009 by Noël Leu and Thierry Blancpain. Their specialty is creating contemporary typefaces that stand the test of time. They offer both retail and custom typefaces and aim to make useful and high quality faces. Some of the many typefaces they offer include GT Zirkon, GT Super text, GT Walsheim Condensed, and GT America Condensed. The shoe store company ALDO uses Grilli Type’s GT Sectra typeface in their logo.

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Type House and Foundries

Being shown a lot of type, I found an interest in Frederic Goudy’s fonts. He was the first of many to be part of the American Type Foundry created in 1892 and formed by 23 foundries. It became the most dominant manufacturer in America for metal type form. Most of the type are still used today. Goudy started designing at the age of 40 and created a lot of hand made fonts for prints and advertisements such as his first font he designed, Camelot. Most of his fonts are available today through various websites offering typefaces.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic_Goudy

To look at all of the similar and various fonts he created visit: http://luc.devroye.org/fonts-61704.html