Spinning the Web

Last month I chipped in my two-penneth about what fonts we’ll all be seeing a bit more of in the new year. Well, it’s a brand new year, and my word new fonts and new type trends have just kept on coming.

This week has seen the launch of Commercial Type. A joint venture between Paul Barnes and Christian Schwartz, who have collaborated since 2004 on various typeface projects, most notably the award winning Guardian Egyptian. Type foundries are kind of the unsung heroes of the industry, toiling away thinking about ligatures, with most of the attention and glory going to cutting-edge designers who dabble in type.

Now – i’m using ‘dabble’ very loosely here, as I love Non-Format’s experiments with type (especially OTTO), and Si Scott’s ‘Hunter‘ is fantastic.

BUT. I am never going to use these on anything I lay my hands on between 9 and 6. What’s great about Commercial Type is it’s place in modern day corporate design. Most of the faces available here are a refreshing alternative to the Helrutiger escape route, most of us are guilty of taking (I need to design a logo. If I use Helvetica, my work will be considered clean and tight).

I’m particularly fond of the Stag collection and it seems that 2010 is going to be the year of the slap serif. It’s been coming for a long time. Check out Adelle from FontShop. Packs a punch.

Another foundry brought to my attention this week is Radim Pesko. According to the website “RP is new small scale digital type-foundry established in 2009 by Radim Peško. The foundry is focused on development of typefaces that are both formally and conceptually distinctive.”

Personal favourite has got to be the Mercury font.

If you’ve got to this point of the post, you’re either my mum, wife or a fellow typophile, so well done. Here’s some freebies.

Smashing Magazine’s 25 New High Quality Free Fonts (check PT Sans & Tribbon above all else).

P.S. Ever seen a font and not known what it is? Here’s the handiest resource you’ll find this side of a glyph.