Resources

Original studies of the type world, plain guides for people new to type, and a curated shelf of books and tools.

Studies

Original, data-backed looks at the type world: where it comes from, where designers learn, who owns what. Built from the Type.lol catalog.

A look at Plantin. Copernicus, Tiempos, and Martina Plantijn all lead back to one print shop in Antwerp.
Diving into the classifications of type. Sans, serif, slab and more. What kind of typefaces are being designed and how many exist today?
Where are typefaces being designed?. Foundry count and output do not rank the same way. The bigger problem is the foundries we cannot place at all.
Where type designers learn. A handful of programs trained a startling share of the people making type today. We traced every designer we track back to their school.

Where to start with type. Plain answers to the basic questions, from interviews with the people who make Type.lol, with examples from the catalog.

Understanding Type Classifications. The families in every font menu, and the names that make them harder to tell apart.
How to pick the right typeface for the job. It depends on the job, so here’s one: a band poster, worked through genre by genre.
How to pair typefaces. Which typefaces work together on one page, and why some pairs fight.
Why fonts cost money. What you pay for when you license a typeface, and where the money goes.
Kerning, tracking, and leading. The three kinds of space in a line of type, and when to adjust each one.
Can I use this font for that?. How font licenses work, and which one covers a website, an app, a logo, or print.

Books on type, from first reads to deep references.

Tools for making and testing fonts, and websites worth reading about type.