Some more words on Zeitung in the OpenType Variable Font format, about Automatic Optical Size and Automatic Glyph Substitution.

The OpenType Variable Font technique is still in development, tools for making these fonts are still in development, implementation and support for these fonts are still in development. However, if you want to experience our recent release Zeitung as an OpenType Variable Font, visit our homepage www.underware.nl in a browser that supports this font format. At this moment that’s only Webkit Nightly, which explains the “Webkit Nightly Bonus” subtitle for a special section completely at the bottom of our homepage.

One more thing
The nerds, the lucky bastards and some geeks, anybody with that browser will see a demo at the bottom of the homepage which is invisible to other visitors using a less advanced browser. They can play with the tuners and experience how changing the size will automatically select the correct optical size of the font family. That’s what you’ve been waiting for, no? Some glyphs, eg. &, will automatically change shape when the point size becomes rather small. Additionally, changing the weight of the font will result in a change of shape of some other glyphs. See how the € swaps from 2 to 1 cross bar when the weight increases. Or how the tail of the Q suddenly doesn’t enter the counter anymore when its weight is too dark. This happens automatically while playing with the tuners, and happens live your browser. No fake news, no fake type. Man, this is 2016 and this is live. Not everything is bad this year.

Automatic glyph substitution depending on weight, live in your browser.

Automatic glyph substitution depending on size, live in your browser.

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A typeface like Liza is fully packed with technological novelties. At the time when Liza was released (July 2009), many of these were not supported everywhere yet. For example, only a couple of months after being released, Liza’s contextual alternates finally behaved nicely in TextEdit. (more…)

Recently we experienced some unwished-for developments at our mailing list subscriptions. During the last 6 months we sometimes saw multiple email addresses from a single company domain that subscribed all at once. Because we hate spam as much as you do, we decided to clean up our mailing list subscriptions over the last half year.

In case you didn’t receive yesterday’s newsletter, you have been unsubscribed accidentally. If so, please subscribe again. We only send a newsletter a couple of times a year, only when there is something interesting we want to share with you. Hopefully you won’t regret your subscription.

In a world full of discounts & dark horses, Underware’s Black Friday offer seems to be inevitable.

5 Black fonts for €99,–

This offer is only valid for 1 day, and ends at the end of Black Friday 2016, 25th of Nov.

Yesterday Ben Mitchell wondered if there are examples of nice manicules which are drawn in the same style as the rest of the font.

Wanted: examples of typefaces with exceptionally nice manucules drawn in keeping with the style of the letters.

— Ben Mitchell (@OhBendy) September 28, 2016

What many people don’t know, because it’s not easy to spot, is that many type designers enjoy refining many details of their fonts. For example by creating manicules which fit to the style of a font family. A special pointing hand allows extravaganza typographic subtleties in your book, website, identity or whatever you are making.

Also our fonts are equipped with matching pointing fingers. Because we enjoy drawing them, this is a nice moment to put them in the spotlights. No manicule is the same, or even close to being similar. Because no font is the same either.

The sturdy stencil font Tripper has a sturdy stencil index:

The female hand is clearly visible in Liza:

Fakir’s manicules are as edgy as the black letters themselves:

Bello & Sauna are typographic mates, and share manicules:

It’s been too long to remember probably. Therefore we will help you out. We had some previous episodes of Bello Goes Freestyle on this blog in the past. It all started with episode 1 in 2007, where Dutch graffiti artists interpreted Bello on a wall. This freestyle interpretation of Bello was followed 2 years later with episode 2. Then 3 years ago we posted episode 3, about a selfmade lettering in a bikeshop in Toronto. And today, oh boy, it’s 2016, we are happy to present the 4th episode of “Bello Goes Freestyle”. There are quite some do-it-yourself versions of Bello around, but this one especially appeals because of its dedication. In last weeks post you could read about the consequences of removing a mural, originally made by graffiti artist Maser. One of the consequences was that the removed mural was resurrected at other locations throughout Ireland. That’s hipper-dipper for graffitis or murals, which are temporary by nature. This mural is not vanishing, but multiplying. Some of the replicas were very smooth. This one however is a bit fluffy and chubby, but painted with lots of love. Disguised, but still Bello.

We all know that it’s not money but love which keeps the world turning. And fonts of course. Therefore we want to reward all orders placed this week (8.02 — 14.02) with an extra free font of your choice for the person you love. No worries, everything is super-simple: Just place any order this week in our shop and we will get in contact with you to arrange the additional free license.

After supporting us with office work and the shipment of publications for over 10 years, it was definitely time to affirm our love for Lucy with her own logotype stamp. Lucy’s reaction: From now on no document will leave the office unstamped. Thank you for everything Lucy!

Giving presents is nice (for both sides), but giving presents you made yourself is even nicer. In such a case you give a little bit of yourself. If you love drawing letters like we do, it’s pretty predictable that these presents are build up out of letters. Here are a couple of typographic presents we made recently.

Autobahn
When our friends of Autobahn celebrated their 10th anniversary, they asked some fellow designers and type-lovers to design them one letter of the alphabet. What do you do when you get asked by two guys which are deep into type to make the letter “S”? Right, you give them what they are: 2 guys deep into type.

Abel
Arriving on earth is a milestone in everybody’s life. When Abel was born, he got an almost abstract poster which actually looks much better if rotated 90 degrees. Hey, he can’t read anyway yet.

Rigoberto
Every artist needs his own monogram. So when we discovered that Rigoberto had to do without one for almost 80 years already, we sat down and send him a stamp.

We received a drawing in return, of course signed with his meanwhile inevitable monogram. Thanks Rigoberto!

Tijl

Tijl, well, when Tijl was born last year we gave him a quickly painted poster that neither Tijl nor his parents could read. That’s okay. It can still be a nice wallpaper decoration thingie for the baby’s bedroom. Shiny nice colours are half the job anyway.

Kees
Every carpenter has his own habit. Kees, who helped us a lot this year, tends to write “Made by Kees” on everything he builds. His eternal fame is however mostly deeply buried underneath layers of concrete or wood. This skilled woodworker deserves more eternal fame, so we made him a stencil. Now he can spray his characteristic motto on everything he builds. Fast and easy. Yes, even his own kids will not be safe anymore with his new stencil.

The fine folks of Brand New Conference went all the way for this year’s conference in New York. If you say: “we set our texts in Tripper and then cut them by hand, one by one, and manually spray those stencils”, then we say: “respect!” Boy, they didn’t stop halfway. They went the whole hog.

What they didn’t know: we’re currently producing real stencil sets of Tripper. It could have made their life a little easier. Visitors of the conference will be the first to experience the real Tripper stencil set. Take it home, and put it next to your bed. If you’re at the conference next week, keep your eyes open.

See more images of Brand New Conference 2015 at fonts in use.