Platform for Interactive and Non-Linear Type Discourse

Leon
Leon Posts: 2
in Type Design Software
Hello people!

As part of my thesis, I am working on a platform/tool for type design discourse. The goal is to create a place where opinions and comments can be linked to certain glyphs, areas in glyphs and spectra in the design space. The intention is to create more overview over the discussion, interactivity with the font, and to link comments with the original visual reference.

My questions to you are:
  1. how valuable do you consider these features?
  2. what are features you are missing in today's platforms for typographic discourse?
I would really appreciate your thoughts!

Best, Leon
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Comments

  • Dave Crossland
    Dave Crossland Posts: 1,431
    https://www.typethursday.org/fontribute might be interesting to see what kinds of things get commented on

  • Nick Shinn
    Nick Shinn Posts: 2,216
    I do think Typedrawers could be a more visual medium, appropriate to the subject.
    Although there’s no drag and drop, the ability to post images is quite easy.
    However, most posts are text.
    Why did you not post an image to demonstrate your concern, Leon?
  • Alex Visi
    Alex Visi Posts: 185
    Is this tool intended for collaboration in making fonts or sort of like a public forum? I think it’s hard to understand what it is exactly from the info given so far.
  • AzizMostafa AzizAli
    AzizMostafa AzizAli Posts: 103
    Hi Typedrawers,
    To create more overview over the discussion, interactivity with the font, and to link comments with the original visual reference?!
    Aren't Youtube.com and Telegram.org doing the Job?
    All the Best for All with Flowers https://T.me/FlowerCrosswords

  • Leon
    Leon Posts: 2
    edited May 2022

    Hey guys,
    thank you for you responses and resources.

    Why did you not post an image to demonstrate your concern, Leon?

    I did not yet post an image because I'm still in the process of visualising my ideas. Images will follow!


    Is this tool intended for collaboration in making fonts or sort of like a public forum?
    I think both is plausible. I'm picturing the platform to be both for design teams to discuss their work (or indie type designers to ask for critique) as well as a platform for general discourse on, say, typographic conventions. 
    To create more overview over the discussion, interactivity with the font, and to link comments with the original visual reference?!
    Aren't Youtube.com and Telegram.org doing the Job?
    I am thinking about interactivity not in a way of users interacting with one another by sending messages or posts and comments. I'm thinking interactivity in the sense of interacting with the font. YouTube is visual but not very interactive in the way I just described. Telegram isn't much more interactive or visual than typedrawers, is it?

    Example:
    Someone is designing a variable font and is asking for feedback on the new platform. Fellow users may look at the font and spot an issue with the signs /$/&/ in a location on the weight axis.
    On a forum like type drawers, they may take a screen shot or reference the letter /&/$/ and then explain their concerns. On the new platform, it would be possible to click on the comment and the two letters in question would be displayed in their referenced configuration.
    -- 
    I'll keep updating this thread to clarify. I'm happy to hear more opinions and insights. And keep the questions coming. Thank you so much!
  • Alex Visi
    Alex Visi Posts: 185
    Looks interesting and also ambitious!

    Versioning and integration with the workflow might be tricky. If there are 50 comments and in one run I solve 20 of them and tweak another 15 for another round, how to keep track of that? Find differences between the files and highlight comments which have some changes, perhaps?

    I’d probably also expect the comment list to have good sorting and filtering options (sort by importance, by date; filter by hashtag)

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