Font of The year

[Proofread People]

I worked as a designer and in prepress in the early 2000s and almost all typesetting was done in-house, strictly using only Adobe fonts because that's what we were licensed to use. Font usage has totally changed in 20 years, good and bad.

I used to be able to identify almost any font instantly, because there weren't 20 million to choose from. The Google fonts collection alone has 5,213 entries.

That's right Papyrus was cool at the time but now, no one likes to weed out small Papyrus text from vinyl.

 

[The Vector Doctor]

Exactly, in the early 80's there used to be "rub-on" transfer text by a company called Letraset. It came in hundreds of different fonts, you would hand space each letter and transfer it to an illustration board. The next step would be to use a high contrast "Photostat" camera and shoot a positive or negative image of it. Back then it would be considered in bad form to use Letraset and not order the authentic type from a foundry. Haha the good o' days

yes i used some of those at OSU earning my graphic design degree. Our class was the first to start using a Mac to do design work. We used Mac II and the older 128k all in one. I still have my burnisher

 

[Bobby H]

Apparently fiverr has chosen a font of The year...

It looks like all the fonts they ranked are free/open source fonts.

I typeset Montserrat and Gotham almost daily. 2 very similar fonts that are used frequently. If we could get fewer people to use Arial that would be great.

I'm seeing a greater amount of customer provided art files set in Montserrat. It's a decent typeface; it even has a true small caps character set. The variable version of Montserrat was buggy at first, but seems to have been updated (now it works properly in CorelDRAW). I'd like Montserrat more if it had a variety of widths.

When I'm considering buy a new type package I'm more likely to buy if the font(s) have variable width axes along with variable weight.

I'll still use Gotham once in awhile, but I've really grown sick of it due to it being over-used in so many places. I dislike Arial and really hate seeing it when it is distorted. But when people stupidly squeeze and stretch Gotham out of its normal proportions it looks even worse. Gotham should not be distorted (especially when the type family has four native widths available).

Yeah lots of fun trying to identify some fonts when they are so similar. Here is a grouping that i always confuse one from another. Bonus points if you can identify all of them

My guesses:
1. Montserrat
2. Gotham
3. ? -Nexa is similar, but Nexa's "S" isn't right.
4. Akzidenz Grotesk
5. Neuzeit Grotesk
6. Avenir/Avenir Next

I used to be able to identify many, many fonts - but not these days! I can identify a good number of them but so many slight variations and so many decorative ones, it's tough!

A really bad scenario is when a customer has a channel letter sign made by another sign company and needs broken letter faces replaced. The letters might look like they were set in Futura, but which type foundry version? None of the versions of Futura sold by Monotype, Linotype, Bitstream, Paratype, URW, Neufville Digital, TypeShop, etc are perfectly identical with each other. Set a string of text in any of those versions and then overlap them. None of them line up perfectly with the other. The same situation is true with Helvetica and its various "Helveti-clones" (like Swiss 721 BT or Nimbus Sans). I can spot the difference between the 1957 "plain" Helvetica, its 1983 "neue" cut and the more recent "now" version. It tougher to spot the difference between Helvetica Neue and Nimbus Sans.

And then there is the issue of people distorting the fonts out of their normal proportions. Variable Fonts add a new wrinkle to the mix. More and more, if we don't have the original art files we're going to have to make patterns from channel letter returns and craft the new channel letter faces from that.

 

[Proofread People]

It looks like all the fonts they ranked are free/open source fonts.



I'm seeing a greater amount of customer provided art files set in Montserrat. It's a decent typeface; it even has a true small caps character set. The variable version of Montserrat was buggy at first, but seems to have been updated (now it works properly in CorelDRAW). I'd like Montserrat more if it had a variety of widths.

When I'm considering buy a new type package I'm more likely to buy if the font(s) have variable width axes along with variable weight.

I'll still use Gotham once in awhile, but I've really grown sick of it due to it being over-used in so many places. I dislike Arial and really hate seeing it when it is distorted. But when people stupidly squeeze and stretch Gotham out of its normal proportions it looks even worse. Gotham should not be distorted (especially when the type family has four native widths available).



My guesses:
1. Montserrat
2. Gotham
3. ? -Nexa is similar, but Nexa's "S" isn't right.
4. Akzidenz Grotesk
5. Neuzeit Grotesk
6. Avenir/Avenir Next



A really bad scenario is when a customer has a channel letter sign made by another sign company and needs broken letter faces replaced. The letters might look like they were set in Futura, but which type foundry version? None of the versions of Futura sold by Monotype, Linotype, Bitstream, Paratype, URW, Neufville Digital, TypeShop, etc are perfectly identical with each other. Set a string of text in any of those versions and then overlap them. None of them line up perfectly with the other. The same situation is true with Helvetica and its various "Helveti-clones" (like Swiss 721 BT or Nimbus Sans). I can spot the difference between the 1957 "plain" Helvetica, its 1983 "neue" cut and the more recent "now" version. It tougher to spot the difference between Helvetica Neue and Nimbus Sans.

And then there is the issue of people distorting the fonts out of their normal proportions. Variable Fonts add a new wrinkle to the mix. More and more, if we don't have the original art files we're going to have to make patterns from channel letter returns and craft the new channel letter faces from that.

Right and I really hate computer generated letterspacing and all the typographical rules that are broken from customer provided art: widows (or orphans, sorry probably not pc), line breaks at a name, horrible kerning. I stopped looking, lol.

 

[Proofread People]

Back when everything was handlettered off the brush or a pounce, everyone wanted crazy fancy fonts. That was fine, if you could control and twill a brush in your hand, but no one wanted block letters at all, except under certain conditions. Now, we have the ability, but everyone wants fonts so basic it ain't even funny.

Had a truck in here last week. The Operations Director dropped the truck off with one of the guys. I told him there's not enough room for the website and Commercial Division. One or the other. He picked to keep the website, but to make it all caps. I said, that font will be hard to read and being all caps will make it worse. He said, no..... I like the all caps look. So, I made it all caps. They picked it up late friday afternoon. Tuesday morning..... big fat e-mail from the girl I usually deal with and she said don't ever do that again. I told her I was only doing what I was told. She said, I shoulda given her a courtesy call. Now, I'm a frickin' baby sitter. I told them, this is an internal problem on your end and THEY should have these things worked out ahead of time. It was eurostyle bold -squashed like crazy to fit in the space they had. Ya just can't win.

, sigh!

 

[The Vector Doctor]

My guesses:
1. Montserrat
2. Gotham
3. ? -Nexa is similar, but Nexa's "S" isn't right.
4. Akzidenz Grotesk
5. Neuzeit Grotesk
6. Avenir/Avenir Next

you have 4 right. 3 is Nexa. Maybe there is an updated version.

 

[Boudica]

Exactly, in the early 80's there used to be "rub-on" transfer text by a company called Letraset. It came in hundreds of different fonts, you would hand space each letter and transfer it to an illustration board. The next step would be to use a high contrast "Photostat" camera and shoot a positive or negative image of it. Back then it would be considered in bad form to use Letraset and not order the authentic type from a foundry. Haha the good o' days

Yes! We used those letraset transfers in my typography class in college.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

It looks like all the fonts they ranked are free/open source fonts.



I'm seeing a greater amount of customer provided art files set in Montserrat. It's a decent typeface; it even has a true small caps character set. The variable version of Montserrat was buggy at first, but seems to have been updated (now it works properly in CorelDRAW). I'd like Montserrat more if it had a variety of widths.

When I'm considering buy a new type package I'm more likely to buy if the font(s) have variable width axes along with variable weight.

I'll still use Gotham once in awhile, but I've really grown sick of it due to it being over-used in so many places. I dislike Arial and really hate seeing it when it is distorted. But when people stupidly squeeze and stretch Gotham out of its normal proportions it looks even worse. Gotham should not be distorted (especially when the type family has four native widths available).



My guesses:
1. Montserrat
2. Gotham
3. ? -Nexa is similar, but Nexa's "S" isn't right.
4. Akzidenz Grotesk
5. Neuzeit Grotesk
6. Avenir/Avenir Next



A really bad scenario is when a customer has a channel letter sign made by another sign company and needs broken letter faces replaced. The letters might look like they were set in Futura, but which type foundry version? None of the versions of Futura sold by Monotype, Linotype, Bitstream, Paratype, URW, Neufville Digital, TypeShop, etc are perfectly identical with each other. Set a string of text in any of those versions and then overlap them. None of them line up perfectly with the other. The same situation is true with Helvetica and its various "Helveti-clones" (like Swiss 721 BT or Nimbus Sans). I can spot the difference between the 1957 "plain" Helvetica, its 1983 "neue" cut and the more recent "now" version. It tougher to spot the difference between Helvetica Neue and Nimbus Sans.

And then there is the issue of people distorting the fonts out of their normal proportions. Variable Fonts add a new wrinkle to the mix. More and more, if we don't have the original art files we're going to have to make patterns from channel letter returns and craft the new channel letter faces from that.

Or you could be cheap and buy 1 style then make it work.
Bold : give it an outline
Black : give it a bigger outline
Narrow : give it an outline that matches the background
Extended : stretch it
Condensed : shrink it
Not that I would ever do that...

 

[Bobby H]

Or you could be cheap and buy 1 style then make it work.

These days if I'm buying only one font file in a type package the font file is usually going to be an OpenType Variable font. I did that with Proxima Vara. It has three variable axes (weight, width and slant) which lets it cover the entire "static" Proxima Nova type family. If I buy one static font at a time it's usually going to be for a specific project. I had buy a medium weight of Slate Pro for a Farmers Insurance job (we rolled that cost into the job). Still, it was kind of annoying; State Farm has their own "flavor" of News Gothic we could get for no charge.

you have 4 right. 3 is Nexa. Maybe there is an updated version.

Wow. There was something about the "S" in your sample that head-faked me. I bought Nexa and Nexa Slab when they were first released (and dirt-cheap priced, something like 90% off at MyFonts). The type families might have been updated once or twice; I've lost track of all the updates for fonts I've bought at MyFonts.

I attached a sample of Nexa and Nexa Slab.

 

[Printy McPrint-Print]

I like the font. It's definitely been popular this year the only thing I hate about it is the capital letter G. Poppins is another that has shown up a lot lately too.

 

[SightLine]

Kind of old but still awesome....

 

[jcskikus]

"...Had a truck in here last week. The Operations Director dropped the truck off with one of the guys. I told him there's not enough room for the website and Commercial Division. One or the other. He picked to keep the website, but to make it all caps. I said, that font will be hard to read and being all caps will make it worse. He said, no..... I like the all caps look. So, I made it all caps. They picked it up late friday afternoon. Tuesday morning..... big fat e-mail from the girl I usually deal with and she said don't ever do that again. I told her I was only doing what I was told. She said, I shoulda given her a courtesy call. Now, I'm a frickin' baby sitter. I told them, this is an internal problem on your end and THEY should have these things worked out ahead of time. It was eurostyle bold -squashed like crazy to fit in the space they had. Ya just can't win."

I have a Sheriff's Department that does similar things. Before I even lay it out, I already know that it will either be to small, or condense it until it's unreadable. I show options on the proof, show notes of sizes, etc. and have the Sheriff sign the proof with the option picked out. It's a headache at times. And yes, Eurostile, in all its incarnations, is overused and is like a red-haired stepchild, a giant p.i.t.a.

 

[Bobby H]

I like the font. It's definitely been popular this year the only thing I hate about it is the capital letter G.

Yeah, the "G" in Montserrat is a bit odd. It has an alternate "G" glyph, but it doesn't restore that horizontal stem at the top of the spur like one might expect.

Many people use Montserrat as a low cost substitute for Gotham even though it is not nearly as "neutral" looking as Gotham. The not-as-neutral style becomes much more obvious with certain alternate characters are applied, such as the alternate uppercase "M".

I have a Sheriff's Department that does similar things. Before I even lay it out, I already know that it will either be to small, or condense it until it's unreadable. I show options on the proof, show notes of sizes, etc. and have the Sheriff sign the proof with the option picked out. It's a headache at times. And yes, Eurostile, in all its incarnations, is overused and is like a red-haired stepchild, a giant p.i.t.a.

If you have an Adobe Creative Cloud account (and thus access to Adobe Fonts) you can try using TransducerVF. I think it's a pretty good Eurostile substitute. It has three variable axes: slant, weight and width. The font is a natural for police car graphics.

 

[Boudica]

I have a Sheriff's Department that does similar things. Before I even lay it out, I already know that it will either be to small, or condense it until it's unreadable. I show options on the proof, show notes of sizes, etc. and have the Sheriff sign the proof with the option picked out. It's a headache at times. And yes, Eurostile, in all its incarnations, is overused and is like a red-haired stepchild, a giant p.i.t.a.

Ahem... I'm a red-haired step child.

 

[gnubler]

Yeah, but are you a giant PITA, too? I try to be, the hair color matters not.

 

[Johnny Best]

So Boudica is a red headed step child and gnubler thinks she is a blond bombshell?

 

[jcskikus]

Ahem... I'm a red-haired step child.

The font, NOT you, is a red-headed stepchild...lol. I'm just tired of all its incarnations and over usage in the emergency field.