Hi there !
This is my first post and I’m really glad to be here
I’m a french illustrator, animator & graphic designer. You can see my work here :
I didn’t made a lot of fonts but I’m really thrilled about typography, and I want to do more !
I’ve released one month ago a script font named Jazzy Croquette and I’m working right now on a new one.
It is a serif typeface inspired by sign painting, 60’s movie posters and record cover lettering. Here is a sample image
I need your help about the name of that font. I found some name ideas using some distinctive letters, but I can’t choose between 2 concepts :
1. A short name that doesn’t really mean anything (Balter, Watsee, Blakey, Wilmy…)
2. A longer name meaning something with 2-3 words (Pink Mustard, Major Warden, Walter’s Midnight, Craft Maker…)
Could you please tell me which is the good way ?
BTW is it really important that the first marketing image of a font (in a market place) shows the font’s name ?
Comments
So maybe the second word should be a French celebrity from the '60s (you guys had some great comedic characters back then :-) and the first word an adjective evoking the font.
Tipsy Funès? :->
Especially if you choose the name based on distinctive glyphs in the font, I would definitely make the name prominent in as many places as possible.
For instance, a lot of people think that the font name MUST showcase distinctive letters from the font. That's fourth priority on my list and so therefore not a deal breaker (it being very hard to find a name that passes the first three hurdles). I will say that after "it's available" the thing that I rank as most important of the variables I have control over is character count.
I love "Jazzy Croquette" on principle but it's longer than any name I'd approve. So, though @Hrant H. Papazian's idea is also supper fun, I have the same objection.
There is a limit to how long a font name can be, which varies based on software and platform. You may not care about having the initial name take up most of the available character count, @Art Grootfontein, depending on your plans for the fonts and expectations about use. The reason it matters to me is that if we make anything into a superfamily (which we are want to do) we're going to need the extra space. AND, we're also going to need space for custom builds. Another thing our foundry is known for is alts, and customers frequently as for special builds (which we have to rename for caching reasons) with the alts swapped, hybridized, or expanded.
Now I try to have short and unique, "meaning nothing" or eclectic "twisted" names for example color font "Popsky" [the style is a mix of pop art hence POP, and constructivism hence Russian like surname SKY like Kandinsky). Or font NASLOF (NASLOV means headline in Serbian, so I twisted it to NASLOF to be unique). Or font inspired by Memphis design I called it MEMPIX and so on.
That way I have a kind of algorithm, I pick some normal logic name/word and then twist it a bit or make a composite of two words
BTW, the more the font (or any software) is pirated, the more it is sold as well I guess. I even think of making some fonts free for some time (like the first year after release) until they are spread across the web. But, I already tried to make $1, and it was a huge fail, so regular intro discount or free, $1 didn't work
@Hrant H. Papazian
I understand your idea, but I don’t really see me as a foundry or a branding 🙂 !
I’m just a type lover and I don’t think that anybody would notice me as a foundry, so I don’t feel that naming consistence is important in my case.
« Tipsy Funès » made me laugh 🤣
@JoyceKetterer
@K Pease
« Oilbirds » sounds nice , but I’m not quite comfortable with what it refers to 😬
@Igor Petrovic
Your twist method is a good way to « create » names that sounds familiar and unique !
I’ll think of it, thanks.
Regarding the discount option, I’m wondering : is it a good idea to release the font with a special 50% launch discount ? (for 1 week for example)
@Jens Kutilek
What a funny tool ! I don’t know how to make it work (don’t understand the GitHub thing…) but you must had some fun working on that little software ! Did you use it for your fonts ?
Where can I find your work ?
Or "Bleue Hawaii" another spin on a pop culture reference.
Super fun font, Art!
http://www.grootfontein.net/?portfolio=balter-serif-font