MVP / request based typeface?

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Joel Santos
Joel Santos Posts: 28
edited November 2019 in Type Business
I've been in and out of typography for already 10 years. It all seems like a cycle. The general "I miss designing types" to the "this takes so much time without a profit at all".
As a developer I'm used to concepts on the programming world like MVP and setup something to explore what the public wants and if it makes to shift ideas or whatever.
Anyway, I was thinking, what if this was to be applied to the type design? Would it make sense? Would it work? To have some appreciation going, something flowing in seems to be a good motivation point to keep doing it and not get frustrated with it.
I imagine something like, we as designers design 5 or 6 characters and possible users being able to request a set of glyphs or something like in those lines.
What do you think?
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  • Adam Ladd
    Adam Ladd Posts: 273
    Hi Joel... if I'm reading this right, perhaps these models are somewhat in line with what you might be thinking(?): 

    Future Fonts https://www.futurefonts.xyz 

    Public Type Works https://www.publictype.works
  • Joel Santos
    Joel Santos Posts: 28
    edited November 2019
    Interesting. I didn't know these projects. It does seem though that the idea is there.
    Do you have any insight into these projects? Like... how well the whole process is working?
    I guess not that much since it isn't a major store and not that well known.
  • Adam Ladd
    Adam Ladd Posts: 273
    edited November 2019
    I don't have much insight on the behind the scenes of these or performance, but others on here might and may provide some feedback. They are both relatively young (Future Fonts a little older) since public launch.
  • Adam Ladd
    Adam Ladd Posts: 273
    Giving this a bump because I'm curious to get others feedback/insights into this model question and the ones linked here.
  • Tyler Finck
    Tyler Finck Posts: 1
    Hey @Adam Ladd  and @Joel Santos - I'm just now seeing this.
    I put together Public Type Works. I think it is too soon to tell if the model will work. We've received a lot of great feedback and enthusiasm, but not so much in terms of actual financial support. In just over one month only about 100 supporters have committed to backing a font. I hope this helps. 
  • Adam Ladd
    Adam Ladd Posts: 273
    Hi @Tyler Finck - thanks for your reply and transparency. These models are intriguing in ways, so seeing how they flesh out as time rolls on will be interesting.

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