Wild Dave

QuoinDesignQuoinDesign Posts: 4
edited August 2017 in Type Design Critiques
This is a display font. I was attracted to a secondary font on the business card of a 1900's-era bar of a family member. It was period, yet still had some modern overtones (or at least the characters that I had on the original card had those overtones and perhaps I imagined the rest). 

Would love to get any feedback you have. I grew up drawing fonts from my dad's sample books. I've been a designer for 20 years, but this is my first complete-ish face, and I'm sure it shows. 

I have plans for a range of weights, if this gets any interest at all.

Thank you!

Best,
Josh Rich


http://quoindesign.com/clientftp/WildDave/WildDaveforTypeDrawers.pdf
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Comments

  • Serif in the /G could be wider, especially pointing inwards more
    /J and /S too wide. A lot of the letter widths could be fine tuned (for example N looks too  narrow for the O)
    /E reduce the rsb
    /Q larger change in angle in the tail stroke?
    /R top bowl too small
    /W why is the top of it higher than the other letters  a lot of letter heights seem to be inconsistent, maybe measure and fix them
    /2 the diagonal stroke could be steeper
    /3 is is just weird looking
    /4 could the left stroke go all the way up ?
    /5 the serif at the top could point up instead of down?
    /9 midbar height make higher up
    most of the numbers, especially /6 and /9 feel too wide compared to the /0
    numbers feel more digital (more like stuff used for isbn codes) than western, 
    top right of /? is too pointy, not enough room between dot and stroke in /! and /?

    the corners in M, N, V, W, Y, are too dark, and need more optical correction
    In general, a lot of the vertical serifs such as in L, S, Z, T could be longer
  • Lots of good points. Thank you, I'll work on this input and post a new version!
  • Some time ago I was also attracted by this design, for the same reason: It's really old but still feels fresh and modern. I liked it so much that also started a revival, but never finished it and probably never will.

    From my research for the revival, the oldest sample I could find was by Palmer & Rey about 1880. Also found more samples by the Cleveland Type Foundry in 1895, and by ATF in 1897 and 1900.

    I'm attaching the specimens, you may find then useful.
  • To add to Nathan's notes about letter widths: Why is /O wider than /Q ?
  • I see the 'wild west' here. Like an tasteful abstraction of those log style display fonts so beloved of summer camp signs.
    Mostly the same observations as above. 'S' feels too wide, gets a thinning effect, 'N' too narrow, 'O' too wide. 'J' too wide. Some of those might be influenced by the letters I see around them.
    I like the general impression this makes on me.
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