Is Adobe Originals closing down?

mitradranirban
mitradranirban Posts: 65
edited June 1 in Miscellaneous News
Adobe is sacking Robert Slimbach who is just near his retirement.
https://typo.social/@slye/114603402101358430
Is Adobe going to replace original design with AI designed typefaces in future? 
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Comments

  • Aaron Bell
    Aaron Bell Posts: 94
    I don’t get the sense that their goal is to replace original type design with AI type design but this is rather a recognition that Adobe Originals served its purpose and is no longer a differentiator that drives sales of Adobe products. They have so many high quality fonts from so many different foundries (and getting more all the time) that they don’t need to continue producing new ones themselves.

    There could also be some interest in AI lettering, but that wouldn’t really compete with what Slimbach brought to the table, at least at this point.
  • Igor Freiberger
    Igor Freiberger Posts: 291
    But Slye didn't say anything about AI. This is a speculation from another user. I don't think Adobe will adopt this path since it damages Adobe Type as a product.
  • Nick Shinn
    Nick Shinn Posts: 2,275
    People may speculate about his “retirement,” but has he actually announced any farewell tours yet? 

    I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a few ideas for typefaces that weren’t quite right for the Adobe brand, but would like to develop, perhaps for another foundry, or even his own indie outfit. 
  • John Butler
    John Butler Posts: 316
    My favorite recent design of his is Ten Roman, particularly its italic, somewhere in his design continuum between Arno and Brioso. I also dig the new Adobe Aldine and Adobe Text. Such understated names, such little fanfare, such hidden treasures. I hope he’s at least measurably rich from all of this, if only in Adobe stock options. Perhaps like Zapf he has plenty more output left to release.
  • Thomas Phinney
    Thomas Phinney Posts: 2,992
    I am sure he did OK financially. Adobe pays decently.
  • Joshua Langman
    Joshua Langman Posts: 105
    edited June 2
    And Adobe Kis. Agreed, Slimbach/Adobe have been very quietly releasing some masterpieces recently. It's a shame they no longer seem to provide printable PDF specimens — just very tall, narrow, single-page specimens that cannot usefully be printed and do not even have a full showing of characters.
  • Thomas Phinney
    Thomas Phinney Posts: 2,992
    (I wanted to say some more here, just been busy with some family medical stuff....)

    Robert Slimbach is one of the greatest living masters of type design. He is passionate about his craft, and one can learn a lot by studying his work.

    I have been wanting to spend some quality time with Adobe Aldine, maybe this will be an impetus to do so.
  • Nick Shinn
    Nick Shinn Posts: 2,275
    The great thing about being one’s own boss is that there is no “retirement age.”
  • John Hudson
    John Hudson Posts: 3,399
    conflicted between his desire to produce work to his own high standards and the fact that the work makes him somewhat miserable
    That sound horribly familiar.