Font WIP

Vasily Draigo

Your thoughts about it.
D the most inappropriate for me.

Igor Petrovic

Yes, D bowl is classic compared to others which are more or less lifted up.

I really like some letters, B/F/H/L/M. Particularly the B is beautiful. But the problem with typefaces which have very distinctive display concept is to maintain that concept consistently through the whole set. I might be wrong probably, but I feel that some letters are too original while the others are classic and that makes me feel that original letters look off.

But on the other side, I thought so for many experimental typefaces that started to be modern like two years ago, and in the meantime, I started to understand that specific aesthetic. So the best way is to follow your taste and see later do you still like the concept or not. 

Actually, it all depends on the intended usage of the font. This font—with it's dark/gothic elements—might be great for a movie or band title or for some branding for example. But for the same reason, because it falls in the "ultra display" category it might prove not very suitable for more usual usage cases.

One good practice might be to have two stylistic sets for the same font. So for example, you have a set with more classic takes of A, R, C, and then put these as the stylistic alternates.

I personally don't prefer the curved strokes for A/C/R. I feel they lose weight too much so the whole letter looks thinner at the lower part. On the other side curved leg of R looks too thick. G vertical stem feels too thick and O is maybe too thin.

G looks like it will turn backward, so you might want to adjust the top part. Also seems there is a subtle curvature problem with the outer curve (top part of the curved stroke) where it meets the serif.

"V" part of M might look slightly offset to the left.

Vasily Draigo

I was originally inspired by the Abaddon font, I didn't want to copy it and just do something in a similar style, something more strict. I look at it and do not fully understand how I want it to look.

Vasily Draigo

Actually I even like G, at least she looks strictly as I planned, although I am not far from the original

Chris Lozos

what about an uncial D?

Vasily Draigo

To be honest, I don't even know how to make it in this style, I can't even imagine how it might look. I work with a style i don't understand.

Vasily Draigo

I have a rather strange O to make D out of it

Igor Petrovic

Dobro said:

I was originally inspired by the Abaddon font, I didn't want to copy it and just do something in a similar style, something more strict. I look at it and do not fully understand how I want it to look.

Oh, I got it. Have to admit two things: Abbadon looks more consistent, and the second—I like your concept more

I am not an expert for such fonts as Abbadon, but maybe for the sake of consistency, you would need to make letters like A more strict as well. Or make things like wedge serifs and other highly specific characteristics less pronounced. 

At this point, maybe you should give yourself more time to experiment. Make like 5 or 10 rough versions of A, because you might start to see something through the process. You can even try it on paper, then on screen, and it should not take too much time so you get tired soon, 30 mins or so just to check.

You might look for inspiration in other writing styles like Chris said.

Once you have definite versions for each letter you can fine-tune curves, weight, and details. The concept goes first.

And the most important thing is to finish the font at the end, whatever you chose Don't let yourself get lost in the process, because there is no other way to progress if you don't adopt the habit to finish fonts.

 

Vasily Draigo

Thanks! I'm trying to somehow borders on the severity and interesting font and I definitely can't do it 

Ray Larabie

Find an images of real or fictional curved blade weapons and try to work those into your design. What you're doing now is taking inspiration from someone else taking inspiration from curved blade weapons. That's the recipe for a watered down design.

Vasily Draigo

Ray Larabie said:

Find an images of real or fictional curved blade weapons and try to work those into your design. What you're doing now is taking inspiration from someone else taking inspiration from curved blade weapons. That's the recipe for a watered down design.

Thanks! 

K Pease

You could also take a better look at the actual lettering of Alfons Mucha, cited as the inspiration by the creator of Abbadon who at time of release I would say has as much or more to learn than you do.

Adam Jagosz

For the A and C: you might get away with these arches if you cut off the tip. Instead of making it a perfect point, make it slightly stumped and the arch will gain a bit of weight.

Or you could just add weight otherwise, by bending one curve on the arch a bit more (as you did in R).

K Pease

If you want to go pointy and goth, and I think you might because your /O is the strong element to build around so far, then you might consider giving the bottom point of /D /G a downward thrusting slope instead of sitting flat on the baseline. Maybe /B too if that puts it out of place. But yeah, these are ideas best explored by sketching some words on paper.

Vasily Draigo

I kind of like C but A looks like something is wrong. I will make several options for each letter, because looking only at what now exists is like a dead end. Maybe I'll make two different fonts out of this.

Thomas Phinney

I am having problems with the R looking too much like it might be a B. Perhaps if the leg did not curve in so much? (It could still curve plenty, of course, just end pointing down or out rather than in.)

Vasily Draigo

Thomas Phinney said:

I am having problems with the R looking too much like it might be a B. Perhaps if the leg did not curve in so much? (It could still curve plenty, of course, just end pointing down or out rather than in.)

Now I want to make two fonts out of this, and I know how to change R for the second font, but how to change it for this style, there is something to think about.