re: Type and Movies

Dominic Stanley
Dominic Stanley Posts: 32
edited March 2021 in Type Business
Hi all, I'm writing a couple of articles about my experience this week and I wonder if anyone else has a similar story. To be clear (for those who don't know me) the tone will be light and aimed at non-type people. I'm not looking to sue anyone here but I'd like to use the opportunity to talk about our industry and hopefully get some publicity. The Minari movie that has been doing so well (6 Oscar nominations) is out in Spain now and the posters are all over Barcelona where I live. They've used a font that I designed when I was a graphic design student. Don't tell Erik Spiekermann (joke, he knows) but it's a bad font. From Dafont and all. I had a note on it saying it was free for personal use only but nobody contacted me and I first learned about it when I saw it on a poster. My big break. Hollywood. Mad. I'm delighted. But how to claim credit while also saying that 'ahem. I am also a serious type designer'. Please share your stories if you have any and I would appreciate any support I can get on twitter @domostanley Thank you! 
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Comments

  • Dominic Stanley
    Dominic Stanley Posts: 32
    Also, to be clear here. The font is being used for the movie in Spain and I have seen it on about a third of the posters online. In other cases Peignot Std condensed is the font. I have no idea why. Well I have an idea but I'd like to hear yours. Here's a pic from my local cinema. I recommend the movie. 
  • K Pease
    K Pease Posts: 182
    I believe the usual victory lap called for in this situation is making an entry on FontsInUse.com.
  • JoyceKetterer
    JoyceKetterer Posts: 812
    @Dominic Stanley you're viewing this as a license violation?  Because it's non-personal use?  Write me directly, when you do send the license.  You may not be able to do much but I will do my best to help you figure out the next step.
  • Dominic Stanley
    Dominic Stanley Posts: 32
    edited March 2021
    K Pease said:
    I believe the usual victory lap called for in this situation is making an entry on FontsInUse.com.
    Thanks for the tip!
  • Dominic Stanley
    Dominic Stanley Posts: 32
    JoyceKetterer said:
    @Dominic Stanley you're viewing this as a license violation?  Because it's non-personal use?  Write me directly, when you do send the license.  You may not be able to do much but I will do my best to help you figure out the next step.
    Thanks Joyce! I'm not actually viewing it like that, I'm just looking for other people's anecdotes for an article. But I appreciate it. I think It's an opportunity for something. At the very least, some publicity. I will be in touch!
  • Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian
    Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian Posts: 2,044
    edited March 2021
    @Dominic Stanley Major score! The article aside, although I believe in cutting regular folk a lot of slack, I personally would not let a Hollywood juggernaut get away with it... It's not just about the money either, but setting a good example for society.
  • Dominic Stanley
    Dominic Stanley Posts: 32
    Hrant H. Papazian said:
    @Dominic Stanley Major score! The article aside, although I believe in cutting regular folk a lot of slack, I personally would not let a Hollywood juggernaut get away with it... It's not just about the money either, but setting a good example for society.
    Thank you!
  • Adam Jagosz
    Adam Jagosz Posts: 689
    edited March 2021
    I have a kinda similar story. I spotted my font in Always Be My Maybe, not for any promotional materials but actually used on set, for a logo and menu of a restaurant. I have no idea whether they got a license on Creative Fabrica where it used to be, or just got it off DaFont, but they did some questionable things to it for the logo which left me feeling a bit ambivalent. Anywhere, the experience pushed me to redraw the font and I published the new version just last month. I have a micro-story on that (with visuals) here: https://www.behance.net/gallery/114699883/Slowglass-v2
    Since Behance is not quite the platform for this kind of things, this would be better off in your article! Let me know if you'll need anything.
  • Dominic Stanley
    Dominic Stanley Posts: 32
    Adam Jagosz said:
    I have a kinda similar story. I spotted my font in Always Be My Maybe, not for any promotional materials but actually used on set, for a logo and menu of a restaurant. I have no idea whether they got a license on Creative Fabrica where it used to be, or just got it off DaFont, but they did some questionable things to it for the logo which left me feeling a bit ambivalent. Anywhere, the experience pushed me to redraw the font and I published the new version just last month. I have a micro-story on that (with visuals) here: https://www.behance.net/gallery/114699883/Slowglass-v2
    Since Behance is not quite the platform for this kind of things, this would be better off in your article! Let me know if you'll need anything.
    That's exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for Adam. Thanks for sharing and good luck with new version! I'm planning on a redesign too.
  • Oliver Weiss (Walden Font Co.)
    Oliver Weiss (Walden Font Co.) Posts: 213
    Interesting! I've seen my fonts in many movies and TV shows over the years, but so far nothing unauthorized, knock on wood! 
  • Dominic Stanley
    Dominic Stanley Posts: 32
    Oliver Weiss (Walden Font Co.) said:
    Interesting! I've seen my fonts in many movies and TV shows over the years, but so far nothing unauthorized, knock on wood! 
    Nice one!
  • Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian
    Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian Posts: 2,044
    BTW I've had the opposite problem: I made a custom font for a movie that never came out.  :-/
  • Oliver Weiss (Walden Font Co.)
    Oliver Weiss (Walden Font Co.) Posts: 213
    That is unfortunate! I hope you got paid regardless :)
    The ones I find personally aggravating are those where my fonts are clearly in evidence, but I'm not allowed to talk about it ಠ益ಠ. 
  • Dominic Stanley
    Dominic Stanley Posts: 32
    edited March 2021
    Ok, to wrap up this thread for now (unless anyone has anymore stories) I've just written an article about the use of my font in the Minari movie. It's not exactly a victory dance, more a love letter to the type design industry. Please enjoy. With thanks to Erik Spiekermann. 
  • Yves Michel
    Yves Michel Posts: 181
    Hello Dominic,
    Is the name of your font an anagram of Horta, the famous Belgian architect and designer Victor Horta, one of the founders of the Art Nouveau movement ?
    I'm a fan of those Art Nouveau fonts. I digitized and worked on several of them, created one of my own and still work on one.
    I wanted to name the one I designed "Horta" but the name was already used. Didn't think of an anagram! So I named it Valentino. And, like you published it on daFont.
    Big problem to choose a name reflecting the nature of the font.
    I appreciate your article.
  • Dominic Stanley
    Dominic Stanley Posts: 32
    Yves Michel said:
    Hello Dominic,
    Is the name of your font an anagram of Horta, the famous Belgian architect and designer Victor Horta, one of the founders of the Art Nouveau movement ?
    I'm a fan of those Art Nouveau fonts. I digitized and worked on several of them, created one of my own and still work on one.
    I wanted to name the one I designed "Horta" but the name was already used. Didn't think of an anagram! So I named it Valentino. And, like you published it on daFont.
    Big problem to choose a name reflecting the nature of the font.
    I appreciate your article.

    Hi Yves, I'm happy you liked the article. Thanks for reading it! I agree it is very hard to find a suitable name for a font. Valentino is a great one though! No I didn't consider anagrams either, (thanks for the tip). I was looking at the first Abstract Artists when I designed Traho. The name is derived from the Latin for "Abstract", which is Abs Trahere. Traho is something like "I draw (from)" although I'm not sure if it can be used on it's own like that in Latin. 
  • Nick Curtis
    Nick Curtis Posts: 118
    Yu+CO used ten of my freeware fonts in their opening credits sequence for Oz the Great and Powerful. I'm as pleased as punch.

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