The Free Font Index 1 cover

The Free Font Index is an indispensable guide to free fonts and thir creators. Over 500 fonts from 35 type foundries in 17 countries have been collected in this book and CD-ROM set. The book includes comprehensive letterproofs of all 500+ fonts and interviews with 6 font designers: Jos Buivenga (exljbris), Lopetz (Buro Destruct), Brode Vosloo (The Sacred Nipple), Shamrock (a.k.a. Jeroen Klaver), Janusz Marian Nowacki and the men behind Fontstruct: Rob Meek and Stephen Coles. The Fell Types are present too! It’s a beautiful book edited by The Pepin Press and written and organized by Hans Lijklema.

Fell Types sample

Fell Types sample 2

Exhibition picture showing The Fell Types and iKern (by nina.ninana)

Italic 2.0
il disegno di caratteri contemporaneo in Italia
contemporary type design in Italy

mostra a cura di / exhibition curated by
Marta Bernstein, Luciano Perondi, Silvia Sfligiotti

inaugurazione / opening
17.10.2008
h. 18.30
Politecnico di Torino
Manica d’approdo Cittadella politecnica
Corso Castelfidardo 39, Torino

la mostra fa parte di / the exhibition is part of
Icograda Design Week Torino
icogradadesignweektorino.aiap.it

Aiap
associazione italiana progettazione per la comunicazione visiva
www.aiap.it

In september 2002, Italic 1.0 was presented at the ATypI conference in Rome: promoted by Aiap, it was the first book dedicated to contemporary Italian type design, and presented the output of less than thirty designers. Although this included some outstanding work, on the whole it seemed that Italy was still on the margins of the global typographic scene. Six years after the publication of that book, Italic 2.0 reflects a very different situation: the number of designers, the average quality and the quantity of projects have all increased, and although we cannot really talk about the rebirth of an Italian “school” of type design, finally we can see some promising developments. Bearing this in mind Italic 2.0 has not only been conceived as a book but also, through a blog (www.progetto-italic.org) and a database where all typefaces designed are collated, it is intended to become an observatory, an active way of monitoring the phenomenon and creating a network of designers, which will be kept updated after the publication of the book. [Excerpt from the introduction]

I myself I’m present with the iKern project. The Fell Types are also shown as example of its first practical application.

Book's cover (by oinoi)

As you know my license asks to give add some credits when the Fell Types are used. It also says that “any other different use has to be authorized”. I’ve added this option because I know that there are cases when it’s difficult, if not impossible, to add such credits beacuse of the small surface available (consider a wine label, for example). Every time I’ve been asked for an exception I’ve always answered positively. For situations where a “colophon” is not present I’ve added a glyph mapped at E054 that can be useful to follow the license without an excessive visual impact.

The Fell Types have been reviewed by two important web magazines focused on typography and typefaces: I love typography and Smashing Magazine. In both cases the Fell Types have been proposed as useful free fonts. The Fell Types are revival by are meant for actual use! By the way all the ligatures and swash characters are directly accessible in the OpenType version. Historical forms are also accessible through the “hist” feature or as Stylistic Set.

A kind user just let me know that the IM Fell English PRO small caps feature wasn’t functioning. Seems like I have to automatize the production phase too, not only spacing and kerning! I’ve uploaded the corrected version. Please let me know if something else doesn’t function. For those who already downloaded the fonts here’s a link to the corrected file:

IM Fell English PRO Roman

Since the Fell Types’ license asks for letting me know where and how the fonts are used, I have receveid many feedbacks from users. But it happened I’ve lost some of them. I would like that those who used in some way the fonts could send me a picture or a pdf for a potential “in use” gallery. Thank you in advance.

In July and August me and my family have visited Belgium and Netherland. So it’s been a duty, when in Antwerp, to visit the Plantin Moretus Museum. It’s been a chance to see some of the “cousins” of the Fell Types: the printing materials that also found their way to Oxford when Thomas Marshall, sent by John Fell, went in Holland looking for types to buy. Like these “Fell Flowers” I saw there. In 1953 the Archive of the Plantin Moretus Museum has been fundamental for Stanley Morison, helped by Harry Carter, to finally cathegorize the Fell Types bought in Holland.