Mac Fonts

[Nekkid Fish]

What's your favorite website for getting free fonts for your MAC?

Thanks bunches! Jules

 

[iMeowbot]

The usual suspects are listed in here. Are there any unusual suspects you like that might be added?

Any of the "Windows" free fonts should work just as well on your Mac, since 99.44% of the freebies are in TrueType format.

 

[Nekkid Fish]

The usual suspects are listed in here. Are there any unusual suspects you like that might be added?

Any of the "Windows" free fonts should work just as well on your Mac, since 99.44% of the freebies are in TrueType format.

Thanks for the link! I'm a new iMAC gal who loves to have a variety of fonts.

HUGz! Jules

 

[Snark]

Thanks for the link! I'm a new iMAC gal who loves to have a variety of fonts.

HUGz! Jules

Like fonts? Welcome to the club.

Here's a good read on not just using type, but using type well.

Snark

 

[shecky]

Here's a good read on not just using type, but using type well.

i would take that article with a huge grain of salt - there is some poor and misleading information in it. i would look at the ellen lupton book thinking with type as a good way to start really understanding how type works in a book that you can actually read and enjoy (unlike the Bringhurst book, which is still the bible, but is not a great way to really see type in action.)

 

[Snark]

i would take that article with a huge grain of salt - there is some poor and misleading information in it. i would look at the ellen lupton book thinking with type as a good way to start really understanding how type works in a book that you can actually read and enjoy (unlike the Bringhurst book, which is still the bible, but is not a great way to really see type in action.)

And the parts you disagree with would be?

Snark

 

[shecky]

Type is on the page to serve the text. It should make the words easy to read and provide a suitable background. Type should not overpower the text.

untrue and depends greatly on the project at hand. off the top of my head look at work from David Carson (whom i do not like, but is nevertheless considered very important in terms of using typography,) his text is not easy to read, is not adhering to the "rules" of typography yet his work does get across the meaning of the piece at hand. Melle Hammer has a number of pieces that look at typography in a more expressive way than pure redability. "normal" typography should be very readable, but to make a blanket statement that all type should be normalized is facetious at best. Bordering the line between pure readability and a more abstract application of type can sometimes make the type MORE engaging and more meaningful.

Helvetica is the typeface used on IRS forms. Now, how do you think you're going to feel when you read something set in Helvetica? You may not consciously realize that it's the same typeface the IRS uses, you may not even know it's Helvetica. You may be under the impression that "Helvetica" is the name of a small imported sports car from Hell, or you may even know that Helvetica means "Swiss" in some foreign language (Latin). But none of that matters. What matters is that you've seen that typeface before, and not under the most pleasant circumstances.

this is such a ridiculous statement that its hard to believe this guy even put it in this article. i understand he is trying to be snarky but its a bad example. many consider helvetica to be one of the most well-designed modern typefaces ever, and is used by MANY many companies including BMW, American Apparel, Target, Crate+Barrel, etc.. companies that in no way want to convey a sense of governmental red tape. i assure you nobody looks at swiss posters and says "ewww... the tax font!" even in america.

Body text should be between 10 and 12 point, with 11 point best for printing to 300 dot-per-inch printers. Use the same typeface, typesize, and leading for all your body copy.

absolutely untrue. this depends entirely on the typeface, the openness of the counters, the x-height, etc... Variances in body copy typefaces and/or weight/etc. can give hierarchy to a mass of text.

Don't justify text unless you have to. If you justify text you must use hyphenation.

while i generally prefer ragged text to justified, there are absolutely times where a justified block makes more sense to the design than a ragged one does. And there is almost no such thing as a "have to" in design.


i think that what the author is trying to convey is fine in terms of intent, but i disagree with some of his statements and some are just plain silly. Some are also accurate. the one "rule" i would add is there are no rules, only tested and proven guidelines.