Hello!
I'm drawing a condensed grotesque and am having some trouble with the lowecase j, so I figured I'd ask you all for your advice and/or opinion.
Below I have 3 possible directions:
1. 'half-curl' (currently my favorite, but I'm not sure if this contradicts the design of the /y)
2. 'full curl' to match the descender on the /y
3. 'no curl' to match the straightness of the /t

Everything is still very much in-progress so forgive any spacing/kerning issues. Thanks
Comments
Both (1) and (2) are viable options. I prefer (2), as I feel it fits better with the architecture of many other letters. Not only /y, but also /e /a /c to some degree.
Even more problematic in italic.
I would not bother using (3) if you like it, but it depends on how much you want the typeface distinguished. I am using the (3) form in a typeface I am designing and still undecided, as it’s meant primarily as a text face, and if there aren’t many corresponding traits in the other letters to match it, it surely feels pretty radical, but I always liked the Futura lowercase solution for /j.
Super informative and helpful to hear your perspectives.
As of now I'm planning to make option 1 the default, with option 2 being a stylistic alternate.
I have a double storey /g and an /f with a full curl (shown below) but am considering redrawing the /f to match the more conservative /j.
For additional context, the typeface is (loosely) based on Grotesque No. 9 from Stephenson Blake & Co. which has a lovely double storey /g — but an /f and /j I really don't like (hence my search for a different design solution).
Any other comments and feedback welcome. Still in the process of drawing the full character set.
That said, I think ironing out the quirks is a legitimate design choice. In today’s world of a million sans serifs, it will be less differentiated, but more versatile. 🤷♂️
Aside from this, if you keep the more sober /j, do the /f in the same vein.