Ever so slight Venetian influence on this one... Half-hanging tabular numerals (probably inappropriate), lots and lots of kerning, and an attempt at irregular and organic shapes. Rather light. Maybe better as a display face. Very much in progress. (Where did my friggin' verbs go?!)
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I just noticed something peculiar. Up to 300% I can see the elements the letters consist of, for some letters. I see this white overlap within the letter shapes in many letters, but when I zoom in to 400% or more, the letter shapes are solid black. Is this normal behavior for letter shapes which haven't been merged yet?
- You can do the spacing while you draw and export a font early to check results.
- moving handles is a pain in Illustrator.
- it is difficult to measure
I can go on like this for some time
I have a few specific reasons why I do the design in Illustrator. First off, it allows me to set all the dimensions and many guidelines while seeing all letters together. In a font editor as far as I know I can see the dimensions of one letter and I can see letters side by side, but not both. Illustrator allows me to have superior insight into the typeface as a whole. However, the fact I can't immediately test my design is obviously a big disturbance in my workflow. On my very first typeface I spent over 120 hours on the design and it never reached a font editor so I never saw it in context, other than the previews I made by manually constructing sentences and doing kerning. In hindsight it was ludicrous, though I suppose it did allow me to focus purely on design and learn a lot from it.
These days I move my design to a font editor as fast as possible. I no longer try to complete a whole set in Illustrator. Now, when I have half an alphabet I move the design to the font editor. Years ago I would also make every accented character individually, so in Illustrator I essentially had the whole extended set that would eventually become a font. Last year I had a similar method of working, though I wouldn't complete the whole set in Illustrator. During this time I learned a lot more about FontLab so I allocated more work to FontLab. However, it wasn't until early this year that I learned once you have the accent glyphs in FontLab, it can create the accented characters automatically using composites. So now I only do the basic design in Illustrator and complete the set in FontLab.
The second reason why I use Illustrator is because I require the ability to zoom in on levels to an extreme degree. In fact, I started to work at much bigger pt sizes to effectively increase my zoom level, as depending on the size you work in, even zooming in to 6400% is not enough. Sans typefaces I can do at 200pt, but serif typefaces I tend to do at 800pt. Could you tell me why you feel that way, and why you think a font editor is better in this regard?
To measure what? The dimensions are proportional. I have a separate Illustrator file where all the guidelines can be set according to a grid that is based on the dimensions in FontLab. For each typeface I have such a document, where I first calculate how much I need to scale the design up from my design document to the conversion document, then I set all the dimensions accordingly, I apply the same settings to FontLab and then it's a matter of copy/pasting all letters from the design document to the conversion document, scale and then copy/paste into FontLab. It's a terrible workflow I have to admit. As long as I'm just focusing on design, I have a great workflow, but after that it takes me 10 minutes to set everything right in the conversion document and FontLab and it takes me up to half a minute per letter to scale and move each letter to FontLab while you guys were working in a font editor from the beginning, I'm wasting time. However, unless my font editor allows me to zoom in to the same degree as I can in Illustrator, I feel forced to maintain my current workflow. Doing the design in FontLab will negatively affect the quality of my work severely. You have a font preview by default, though indeed you can't test it, type with your font and properly see it in context. Hence these days I move my design to FontLab as soon as possible and I work with FontLab and Illustrator in parallel. What do you mean?
http://www.glyphsapp.com/tutorials/5-things-you-did-not-know-about-your-edit-tool
I also find the RMX tools for Glyphs a big time saver in fine-tuning curve quality.
Can you name any specific editing feature you have in Illustrator that you're missing in your font editors? I bet Glyphs has an equivalent or better solution.
And I know a lot of features in FontLab are hidden in menus. In Illustrator I have immediate access to all design features I need, like Pathfinder. I can also deactivate layers and superimpose letters. I find this particularly handy when designing alternate weights. Really, when it comes to design Illustrator is a lot faster for me and offers everything I need—except for interpolation. What do you mean by fine-tuning curve quality, and how do these tools work?
I'm not sure I understand your problem with Bézier handles. I'm assuming you're talking about the two handles belonging to the same node? You edit one and the other one moves? In Glyphs, nodes are either green (curve points; both handles have to lie on the same line) or blue (corner points; handles are completely independent of each other), and you can easily switch between the two modes by double-clicking the node (or selecting a bunch of nodes and hitting enter). So switching a node to blue will allow you to edit one handle without moving the other one. On the other hand, if you want the point to remain a curve point and you want to edit one side without changing the slope of the other side, just move the handle while pressing the alt key. That will allow the handle only to move along the pre-established tangent of the node, and leave the other handle in peace. It's one of the five tricks demonstrated in the link I posted in the previous post.
As for having too many small windows, well... in Glyphs, you basically do all of your work in the same window. Bézier editing, spacing, kerning, all of it. The RMX tools for Glyphs help you make curves harmonious. You can select one or several nodes and trigger one of the tool's functions, which will then reposition the nodes and handles such as to keep the overall shape of the curve intact while removing kinks and discontinuities from the curvature profile. You can choose the degree of invasiveness of the procedure, from the simple "Dekink" to the more extensive "Supersmooth All".
(Thanks to this tool, I've learned to spot inharmonious curves myself, but it still saves me time.)
Can you adjust curves in Glyphs without touching the handles? In Illustrator when you select a curve with the white arrow, you can use your arrow keys to adjust the length of the handles. I often define a specific keyboard increment so I can adjust curves by the same amount for each letter. I don't think this is possible in FontLab. I tried it, but the curves only change by adjusting the handles. Yes, I noticed the workflow is a lot better in Glyphs. That's what initially attracted me to Glyphs. If I could open my fonts with both FontLab and Glyphs while keeping everything intact, I'm sure I would have tried to work with Glyphs more. Right now I have way too much going on to learn a new program and essentially put my type designs on pause. Well, I often put my typefaces on pause to focus on my other interests, but I don't want to delay everything further. I believe Illustrator has a similar feature, but based on what you told me it doesn't seem to be as accurate; I never use it. Sometimes it does take a bit to get a kink out of a curve or to balance the curves with the direction of the contrast, though I enjoy trying. Since I design serif typefaces at 800pt I have a lot of control over the curves. One thing I have learned though is that the béziers are more stable in FontLab, and I imagine in Glyphs too. When you delete a node in Illustrator, the shape collapses. In FontLab the shape is still half intact. It doesn't slow me down though. I have a background in graphic design so I've been using Illustrator for logos and other designs for many years.
Both support UFO. FontLab through the use of a script or the just-released vfb2ufo program.
Also, check out this video for a presentation of Glyphs drawing tools:
FontLab VI can't come soon enough, getting access to a Macintosh computer is difficult for me.
> I still don't dare to get back to websites like Facebook or deviantart because it's too much pressure.
Do you mean that when you care about things they stick in your head or something?
I have to admit though, the drawing tools in Glyphs are a bit more advanced than in Illustrator. Editing curves goes a little bit faster. In Illustrator you have to click on a node first to adjust the béziers and align the handles horizontally or vertically. In Glyphs apparently you can skip that step. Why would you need access to a Macintosh? I work on a PC and I'm not switching anytime soon. We use Macs at school, but I find it rather uncomfortable. Not exactly. Usually at age 4 certain neurological pathways will die off to make the system more efficient. In case of autistic people that doesn't happen, so a lot more neurons are active at a time. It allows me to associate more freely as I have more neurological pathways that communicate with each other, but it also means my brain is always active and working inefficiently. There is no filter, so it constantly picks up too many signals.
And it's not that things stick in my head if I care. It's that I care too much about everything and I can't let things go. A week ago I had a conversation with a classmate and I'm still stressing about it, as I keep analyzing the situation and make considerations of what I should have said differently. I acknowledge it shouldn't matter, but I can't stop caring. I have a very obsessive personality. It also has major benefits though. I score high academically speaking and I'm constantly reading articles about my various obsessions, so I learn a lot.
Also, I reckon all of us are rather obsessed with type and notice a lot of mistakes in typography on the streets. So do I, but whereas you probably notice it and go on with your life, I get frustrated and I can't let it go. In order to properly deal with that information I keep a visual diary; I take pictures of every typographic error that frustrates me, because once I've taken a picture of it, it's easier to let it go. If I don't, I keep thinking about how I should have taken a picture and that gives me stress as well.
But I feel I'm hijacking this thread. I find it hard to differentiate between the main story and minor details, so I tend to give too much information. I'm introverted and quiet, but once someone shows interest I will talk your ears off. If you have any questions send me a personal message.
vfb2ufo just came out and it's supposed to be great so I'd say yes. I haven't used it though.
> Why would you need access to a Macintosh? I work on a PC and I'm not switching anytime soon. We use Macs at school, but I find it rather uncomfortable.
Glyphs is Mac-only, much like robofont.
> So do I, but whereas you probably notice it and go on with your life, I get frustrated and I can't let it go.
These days when a teacher gives me a paper at school I often start by drawing bars over pairs with bad kerning (Comic Sans has some really bad pairs even though it is "intentional", same for the fake bold italic Arial small caps one of my teachers serves me), but I've been kerning a lot lately so I see that as an exercise somehow.
That was an interesting read – I'm guilty of hijacking this thread, too.
Glyphs, RoboFont and Superpolator seem insanely great... almost enough to give me Mac envy, until I remember how much I hate one-button mice. Until then, TypeTool and FontForge are pretty awesome, if not quite as stable as Windows 3.1 yet.
Michael: Actually, the trackpad on a MacBook is so multifunctional and intuitive that I feel crippled when I have to use my desktop Mac's five-button mouse at work.
I stand corrected. The last Mac I touched -- one of those weird mutant hemispheres with the round mouse and the integrated monitor out of '50s science fiction -- was in 2008, which was quite a long time ago. You kids get off my lawn!
"They are as efficient as their PC counterpart."
Not without a scroll wheel, they aren't... manipulating scroll bars with a mouse is clumsy. Although it'd be cool to use a trackball to move things around freely, as opposed to the scroll wheel, which only works along one axis at a time. My ignorance of Macs being what it is, they've probably had such trackballs for years!
Anyway, I don't mind my thread being derailed, but could a I get a couple of font critiques?
The Mac trackpads are so much better than all the scroll wheels and trackballs combined. Please don't judge them if you only used PC trackpads, because most of those are not working.
It is unique in it's multiple character editing and real-time glyph synchronization approach.
It has a flexible cross glyphs fluid grid - the Matrix:
http://youtu.be/bMDeH3WHue8
A most simple and sophisticated cross glyphs partial path synchronization - the SmartX system:
http://youtu.be/GYtWNi1Xyw4
Now even supports variable Outline width:
http://youtu.be/dLHr1s3gZGY
Accented characters automation, Logotype mode(!), preview, one click font generation and a simple designer oriented UI (all in reach, no hidden menus and technical complexity).
Served straight to your browser (Chrome recommended), no download or installation required.
It still doesn't have all the "Illustrator" vector editing tools but we're gapping up.
Is it for privacy/accessibility reasons?
"It's a rather fascinating tool"
It really is