Author: David Earls

Published: December 2006

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the news from december 2006

ATM Deluxe vs FontReserve
Just kidding. Arstechnica has posted a head-to-head review of the current main mac font managers, for when Apple's FontBook just isn't enough. Covers Suitcase X, FontAgent Pro and the free FontExplorer X. The conclusion? Buy the one that isn't made by Extensis, but your mileage may vary.
Source: MS Typo News
Friday, December 29, 2006 |  David Earls

Conference calls
Along with the news that Linotype's TypoTechnica 2007 will be held on the 27th and 28th April, this week the One Friday conference in London this February has announced its speakers.
Source: Typophile
Thursday, December 28, 2006 |  David Earls

Higher education
BBC2's University Challenge tonight featured a type ID question, though Yves need not fret too much. The Reading students (none of which I bet are in the typography department) answered 2nd to correctly identify Courier. They then went on to ID Impact, Garamond and Comic Sans, and indeed to win the match. PowerPoint presentations across Britain have been seen jumping from cliffs...
Monday, December 18, 2006 |  David Earls

Christmas in beta
It is a slow typography news week, and I can't be bothered posting Christmas gift crap, sorry. Go make your better half a vase yourself, put your love into it, even if it turns out looking like it was made by an oafish alien called Zarg, after one too many glasses of Glögg.

Ahem. Anyhow, elsewhere Adobe Labs released a beta of Photoshop CS3. Oooohhhh. You'll need a valid CS2 license key. Merry Christmas!
Thanks, Peter! ;)
Monday, December 18, 2006 |  David Earls

ITC Charter Pro released
ITC has released Matthew Carter's Charter in a Pro edition, complete with auto old style figures, small caps, ligatures and all the stuff that makes OpenType so gnarly. I once made a complete fool of myself to Mr Carter. Oh, it also includes extended support for a range of central and eastern European languages. Polish builders and plumbers rejoice across London.
Source: fontlover
Monday, December 18, 2006 |  David Earls

House blocks sell like house bricks
House Industries has launched, and promptly sold out of, sets of rather lovely Alexander Girard alphabet blocks. Apparently they're the latest Christmas gift must-have for the funky designer around town, and have flown out of the shop. I hope they didn't hit anyone.
Source: Typophile
Wednesday, December 13, 2006 |  David Earls

Zune zype
Ascender Corp has posted a couple of paragraphs on the typography used onscreen and off with Microsoft's iPod flicker, the Zune. I hope they can expand upon this - it would be interesting to read about the approach to its screen-based design and typography.
Source: MS Typo News
Wednesday, December 13, 2006 |  David Earls

Typophile Books returns
Classy type site Typophile has resurrected its Books section - a fine compilation of type and general visual design related publications, some of which have short reviews.
Friday, December 08, 2006 |  David Earls

Goold old Times Modern
Yves and I were chatting online tonight and swapped links on The Times redesign. The Times is a pretty crappy paper these days, though at least it had the honesty to admit it was a tabloid and cut its paper accordingly. Here is The Times own take, while Creative Review said this. Yves noticed how so many European rags have redesigned in such a short space of time. Personally, I reckon it's a right wing corporate fascist conspiracy to take over the media-industrial complex. But then I think of Elmo and feel better.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006 |  David Earls

De Morgen laat Britten een poepje ruiken
De Morgen has scooped the title of Europe's Best Designed Newspaper. No snippy comment - it is rather lovely.
Source: NewsDesigner.com
Tuesday, December 05, 2006 |  David Earls

Microsoft Mobile gains Personality
The chaps at Ascender Corp have released the Ascender Personality Kit, for those of you with Windows Mobile 5 phones. Typical of theme packs, it has the usual nonsense such as banal stock photos of, oh I don't know, dogs or something to act as desktop, and mobile ring tones to annoy people on the bus - its pure laziness is what I can't stomach. But, here is the interesting bit - it comes with fonts! My beloved Georgia, on a mobile phone? Gosh... can't wait till its available on Series 60!
Source: Typophile
Tuesday, December 05, 2006 |  David Earls

RSS feed now available
You're live for 5 minutes and people start demanding. An RSS feed for Typographer.org is now available. This only covers the News column - we'll announce new articles from Yves (and others) in the feed so you'll know when larger pieces come along.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006 |  David Earls

We are back
After a rather large hiatus, Typographer.org returns, in a new multi-column format, with regular news stories from the typography world, and comment pieces from Yves and David. All accidentally launched about an hour early by a ham-fisted Welshman. Hope you like the new look...
Monday, December 04, 2006 |  David Earls

Brighton Rocks
ATypI 2007 will be held in Brighton - the decayed jewel in Britain's Victorian past. These days, you'll find punks, anarchists, homosexuals and chavs galore, and a disproportionate number of rather good vegetarian restaurants. If you're coming, you may want to venture a little further down the coast on the weekend - Brighton isn't called London-by-Sea for nothing, and it gets pretty packed. They have Wifi on the pebble beach, the amazing burnt-out wreck of a pier that can't be knocked down due to its listed historic status, and all the fish and chips you can eat before the cod stocks spectacularly collapse. Yves and I will almost certainly probably be there, come join us, it will be a hoot!
Monday, December 04, 2006 |  David Earls

Sudtipos redesigns site
Argentina's Sudtipos has relaunched its site, with luscious colours as fresh and clean as a Welsh emigre bathing in a melting glacier stream in Patagonia...
Source: fontlover
Sunday, December 03, 2006 |  David Earls

Typophile Flickrs On
I got an invite to join the Typophile Flickr group today. Along with a billion other people - I'm nothing special, you know. If you would like to "Show us your stuff! Post images of your typographic obsessions, works in progress, and Typophile related events and activities" then pop on over. Don't use Flickr? Shame on you!
Saturday, December 02, 2006 |  David Earls

Xmas Goodies, Part 1
Tis the season to be jolly. Apparently. Hubert Jocham is celebrating by giving away XmasRudolf, a suitably festive font. Minor catch: you need to go through the ordering process to get it, but that's not the end of the world. No, we will have to wait another 30 years for that...
Source: Typographica
Saturday, December 02, 2006 |  David Earls