What’s The Use of Fonts In Use?
with
Stephen Coles
Fonts In Use is an independent archive of practical typography, indexed by typeface, format, industry, and various typesetting styles and techniques. We document and examine graphic design (historical and current) with the goal of improving typographic literacy and appreciation. Founded in 2010 by Sam Berlow, Nick Sherman, and Stephen Coles, the site is now published with the help of Florian Hardwig and Rob Meek, along with hundreds of guest contributors who submit Uses on a daily basis. This talk will examine what we’ve learned from this endeavor over the last five-and-half years, including the ways that real-world usage informs and influences both font users and font makers. Stephen will answer questions such as: What defines a typographic trend? Which uses and discussions have the most resonance, and why? How do graphic designers and type designers use the collection? How do typeface specimens compare to type “in the wild“? What’s the future of Fonts In Use?
The Herb Lubalin Lectures are recorded and made available here and on Vimeo with the generous support of Adobe.
About Stephen Coles
Stephen Coles (he/him) is Associate Curator & Editorial Director at Letterform Archive. Previously, he served as FontShop’s creative director and a member of FontFont’s TypeBoard. He was also an independent consultant, connecting font makers with font users and advocating for the interests of both groups. Stephen wrote the book The Anatomy of Type and co-founded the websites Typographica and Fonts In Use.