-
Font Purchase Help
Although I have a gazillion fonts already, I want to purchase some more traditional sign writers fonts.
Mostly I am looking for some good script fonts.
http://www.letterheadfonts.com & http://www.signdna.com have a lot of nice choices but before I purchase I wanted to get some feedback on what fonts will give me the most use.Thank you,
brYan
-
22 Replies
-
Great link the DNA one thanks
-
Here’s two more great sites:
http://www.artandsignstudio.com/fonts.html
http://www.thefontry.com/
I have several of all of these fonts.
My absolute fave is Chesham Sans by Arthur Vanson. (Letterhead Fonts)
I use it in place of Hellvetica, excellant readability but not cold-looking.
I also love his American Sans, which is a ballsy-looking alphabet.
Arthur also has a gorgeous script called Tideway.
Chuck Borges’ Sarah Script is to die for, as well as his casual Avalanche.
One of the things that absolutely drives me nuts about these fonts is improper condensation in an extended font.
Also improper kerning, I always check and readjust each letter!
Or the use of all-caps when a lower case is clearly provided.
The Fontry has the alphabets of Atkinson, traditional turn-of-the century ones that still look great today.
A & S has some great signpainter’s gothic alphabets as well as scripts.
Some of these sites have free download fonts.
Factor the price of the font into your design and it practically pays for itself.
Love…..jill -
Thanks for the advise. Tideway script was one of the scripts I was eyeing.
I will check out the others.I agree about all caps and kerning, those are among my pet peeves in typography. If I had a dime for everytime I’ve see all caps brush script! I am pretty good about kerning (sometimes I think I spend to much time on this) but every once in a while a gap gets by me, hate that.
Bryan
-
I don’t understand this American obsession with brushed looking fonts.
-
Just wondering how you can make your own fonts..
Do you need expsnsive software?
Does anyone know of any links??
Iain
-
Ian there are font making progs around some free some not but it does take quite a bit of time to produce them Peter
Edit to put in this link http://www.fontlab.com/index.php -
quote autosign:I don’t understand this American obsession with brushed looking fonts.
I don’t think it is an obsession, but I find that many of the standard fonts that work well in print do not work as well for signage.
-
Thanks for the link Peter
Iain
-
….perhaps it has something to do with the fact that most “fonts” were originally put onto signs WITH a BRUSH…….
and I would not call it an obsession, more of a passion…
also, folks who can actually paint with a brush try to replicate that look in vinyl to get away from that “computer” look.
:tongue: -
quote Jillbeans:….perhaps it has something to do with the fact that most “fonts” were originally put onto signs WITH a BRUSH…….
and I would not call it an obsession, more of a passion…
also, folks who can actually paint with a brush try to replicate that look in vinyl to get away from that “computer” look.
:tongue:Well said!
And I can’t paint to save my life so I am thankful that these fonts are available.
-
Jiil, as a painter, how do you build up your alphabet library? do you just practice each one or can you look at a style and copy it?
Was going to ask this in a new topic, but it seems to fit in here,
Peter -
Peter, I have three or four “alphabets” in my head that I can do by rout.
A script, a casual, a thick & thin Roman, a modified 1910 Strong, and a sans serif. Oops, that is 5.
When I paint, I keep 3 alphabet books handy, Mike Stevens, Atkinson, and another alphabet book I got from SignCraft.
I look at em and replicate em.
But sometimes I don’t need a book at all.
If you paint and practice long enough, the letterforms just stick in your head.
I did go to art school, but all I learned there was Old English.
When I do painting from a computer layout, I make a print and study that while I paint, or I use a pounce pattern.
We are lucky that we can purchase alphabets that come out of other sign painter’s heads to improve the look of our work.
Just because one uses computers and vinyl to make a sign,
it doesn’t mean that their work has to be all Hellvetica or cookie-cutterish.
These special fonts help us all to make killer signs, if our layouts are killer as well.
Love…..jill -
After studying the link that Peter posted, i think it will be wiser, and probably cheaper to study some of the other links and “Buy” a few decent scripty things.
BTW i thing that the American style of signage is really cool. I wish i could push that style in Britain. It would certainly brighten up some of the journey round town
Iain
-
I’ve got a few Letterheads fonts. As Jill said, Sarah Script is absolutely stunning, as is Sofia Script. They do portray their fonts very well on their website with some amazing layouts and effects. Buying the font is the easy bit, it’s what you do with it that I find difficult but they certainly provide some inspiration.
-
Funnily enough you would just not belieeeeve it I was on there last night and made a list of the ones I am going to buy 1 Sofia 2 Sara 3 Californian and 7 others but now I got the links above goin to have to spend a bit more I think.
-
What’s really nice about some of the scripts I have is that they have alternate characters. So if you have the letter y twice in a word you can have one with a loop and one without, for example. Makes things look more unique and less like a computerised font.
-
Hi Bryan, have you checked out this site simplythebest.net/fonts/ loads of free stuff on here. There is a link in another thread ,can,t remember which one, regards Mark
-
hello again ,just found the thread that I saw the web link in , look in latest posts section on front page then find the thread for VERDANA FONT. its in there
-
Thanks Mark, I have looked on many of the free sites (actually I posted the link on the Verdana Font thread 😀 ) but haven’t found anything I was crazy about. I don’t mind paying for the fonts if I can use them (and pass the cost to the customer 😉 ) and they are of good quality.
BTW another font site is http://www.dafont.com/
Has tons of free fonts.Thanks again,
Bryan
-
Big G is right about the alternates….it is little touches like these that really make a design stand out from the crowd.
Love….Jill -
Fredthelad You can create ttf and type 1 fonts in Corel Draw, not as fully featured as bespoke font authoring software but ok, Signlab can also create fonts and alter kerning but only in it native vef format
Alan -
Text to graphics and you can make anything you like.
Goop
Log in to reply.