What does font production mean?

Ori Ben-Dor

For instance (from a Klim Type Instagram post):

[...]
Design: Kris Sowersby
Engineering: blancotype
Production: fostertype
[...]

What exactly did fostertype do?

George Thomas

Drew all the paths, all the basic work.

Paul Hanslow

yes, what @George Thomas stated. From what I understand Dave Foster often works with Klim Type by completing outlines and fleshing out the character set. I'm sure he also does more than just outlines though. He is sometimes mentioned in the Design Information blog posts on Klim's website, in particular for the outline work in Domaine Sans Fine. 

Ori Ben-Dor

But I guess Kris draws outlines too, so he would draw the core glyphs / key masters and Dave would complete the glyph set / polish up interpolated styles? Something like that? I'm just trying to get a sense of how the work might be divided between a designer and a producer. 

Paul Hanslow

That's the assumption I always had. Speaking from my experience, I extend the glyph-set of Tiro Typeworks' typefaces which are often the intellectual property(IP) of John Hudson and/or Ross Mills. So I undertake production work similar to what Dave Foster is probably doing at Klim.

I've always seen a Font Producer as a person who fleshes out a character set and takes direction from the Director or person(s) who own the IP of typeface in question. Like everything involved in type design it's often takes many creatives working together to deliver the completed work, so designating titles to every person involved gets complicated. 

Ori Ben-Dor

I think I get it now.
Thanks, Paul!

John Hudson

Speaking from my experience, I extend the glyph-set of Tiro Typeworks' typefaces which are often the intellectual property(IP) of John Hudson and/or Ross Mills. So I undertake production work similar to what Dave Foster is probably doing at Klim.

It isn’t a term we use at Tiro, though, I think because I wasn’t ever sure where production ended and engineering began, whereas some foundries seem to have quite clear delineation of tasks and roles. It’s all ‘font making’ to me.

Paul Hanslow

John Hudson said:

Speaking from my experience, I extend the glyph-set of Tiro Typeworks' typefaces which are often the intellectual property(IP) of John Hudson and/or Ross Mills. So I undertake production work similar to what Dave Foster is probably doing at Klim.

It isn’t a term we use at Tiro, though, I think because I wasn’t ever sure where production ended and engineering began, whereas some foundries seem to have quite clear delineation of tasks and roles. It’s all ‘font making’ to me.

I agree in that the line is blurred when it comes to tiro work. And I’m sure the same occurs in other foundries. 

The examples I stated were purely simplifications to get the point across. 

Ori Ben-Dor

Thanks!

Claudio Piccinini

"Production" is ambiguous. If I read "produzione" in Italian, it could even mean that Fostertype is a designer. Of course we do not have the equivalent of "designer" in italian, as "disegnatore" has a specific, different meaning. This is related to the "culture" of design, whose language never properly entered italian.

If I read "production" in English, it makes me think of someone which takes the typeface already drawn and performs technical operations, like creating accented characters, or extending the character set without a design involvement. If there is a design involvement, the term "production" would not come immediately to my mind.