Typography

I am such a nerd for typographical history and minutiae. It is a fun and fascinating study, as well as an enlivening practice, not to mention exacting. Typography is one of those lovely, exciting disciplines in which there is always so much more to learn. Consistency of forms, the relationships between them, all of the micro-scale details that add up to (ideally) a smooth reading experience where the design becomes invisible in service to the content. This macro-level is an especially important consideration for book interiors.

I use my typographical knowledge when designing the book interiors for Curiouser House Publishing⇗. Hop on over to see some of my book covers. Keep scrolling to see a few of my forays into font design⇓.

Book Interiors

FONTS

Whoof! Even designing sloppy handwriting fonts gives you a much deeper appreciation for the care that goes into any typeface (be it ever so Comic Sans). Letterforms become architecture, a line of type becomes a cityscape. Here are some of my forays, be they ever so modest…

High School English Teacher

I based this font on the handwriting of my favorite high school English teacher. This is pretty much as it appeared on blackboards as well as notes on my essays.

Friedrich Wilhelm

This one was based on the writing of a 19th century German man with a very leaky pen. Kerning’s a beastly beast.

Fontenay-aux-Roses

I have a fondness for Joris-Karl Huysmans’s Against Nature. There was a limited, deluxe edition printed in the 1890s using this typeface throughout. I have since found that it very closely matches the very lovely typeface Auriol by Linotype.

Otterloop

Based on the cartoonist Richard Thompson’s handwriting, as in his award-winning editorial cartoons as well as his short-lived daily strip Cul de Sac, featuring the Otterloop family. One of the best syndicated strips ever.