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Help me pick the /n/

Sevag BarkhudaryanSevag Barkhudaryan Posts: 9
edited June 2016 in Type Design Critiques
Things looked good when I drew No. 1 on paper. Any thoughts?

3n.png 13.9K

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    Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան PapazianHrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian Posts: 2,044
    All of those can make sense... What do you want this font to taste like?

    BTW, an optical correction: when mathematically the same, the "u" appears wider than the "n".
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    Sevag BarkhudaryanSevag Barkhudaryan Posts: 9
    Foreign/exotic but not too much. Armenian influenced.
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    Chris LozosChris Lozos Posts: 1,458
    How does it look with the "v, t, y"?
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    Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան PapazianHrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian Posts: 2,044
    edited June 2016
    Ah, then # 3.
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    Sevag BarkhudaryanSevag Barkhudaryan Posts: 9
    @Chris Lozos
    I haven't decided on them yet

    @Hrant H. Papazian
    Thanks.

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    Chris LozosChris Lozos Posts: 1,458
    glyphs are best designed in context from the start.  I could not decide about an n before I knew how it would function against its neighbors.
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    Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան PapazianHrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian Posts: 2,044
    edited June 2016
    Sure, but you have to start somewhere, and before the very first glyph (often an "n" BTW) there's the idea. That said, it's a fluid and iterative process, and any glyph can affect change in another.
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    Chris LozosChris Lozos Posts: 1,458
    Yes, Hrant, but I think starting with only one glyph is not enough to start.  Fitting is a long process.  It is better not to totally finish the n before going on to the next glyph.  For instance, I tend to start with n, u, o, v at least to find a weight to space rhythm before I use up too much time perfecting a single glyph.  This is just a suggestion.
    What may be a problem for me is the "decide on them" concept.  I would not be afraid to leave things in a state of flux for a while.
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    Ray LarabieRay Larabie Posts: 1,379
    edited June 2016
    With the first example, you're getting into Greek territory with horizontal stroke entry. The look like a bit like eta & mu. Maybe look at some Greek typefaces for ideas. Like the way the right side of the nu and upsilon curves in.
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    Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան PapazianHrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian Posts: 2,044
    Interesting insight. Although the more Greek it feels the harder it might be to make it feel Armenian.
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    Sevag BarkhudaryanSevag Barkhudaryan Posts: 9
    @Ray Larabie
    Wow, I live on a Greek speaking island and with this project my intention is to include Greek as well. But the design was not intended to look Greek, at the moment the plan is to work on Latin and Armenian first. Maybe for each language I should use specific characters. For example for Greek I'd use No. 1, for Latin No. 2 and for Armenian No. 3.

    @Chris Lozos
    I see your point and agree. Before starting with this I was reading Fruitiger and inspired by his method of working first I drew the letters /n/, /a/ and /d/ on tracing paper. For reference/inspiration I looked/borrowed at/from Armenian types. The concept was/is to develop further ideas as I'm working on/from these three characters.




    and.png 207.8K
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    Nick ShinnNick Shinn Posts: 2,145
    It’s a good idea to consider the awkward character sequences in which ‘n’ is second—in the word “kern”, for instance, and when preceded by v, y or w. 

    Also sequences such as “ini”, in which presumably the stems on either side will be equally distanced, but the between-glyph “counter” to the left will be much less open with the “some serif” /n. Check how Luc de Groot handled it in TheMix.
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