Type Design - Dundurn

I’ve been getting back into type design after a looonnngg hiatus (and really loving it.) This is one that I started a long time ago and it languished for just as long. After working on a face for Bruce Mau, it got me really interested in gothic or grotesque faces from a century ago, which sound rather whhooo scary to the uninitiated, but are really bold condensed sans serifs used for advertising.

It started me down the path to creating one all my own. Totally stupid, I know; I could have bought one, or just pirated one. (And people wonder why I have no interest in selling my type.) I made it a bit wider than some. I like condensed faces a lot, but I felt I had done plenty of those already. I completed most of it years ago, and finished off some missing characters (there are still a few missing, and a few still need tweaking and correcting), and noodled around with the metrics and kerning (although I still can’t say they’re done either). But it’s close to being near where I’m happy with it. Working on this has given me the chance to immerse myself in FontLab Studio. Previously I was what I would immodestly call an expert user of Fontographer. Studio is a different beast altogether, and in order to learn it I just have to get in and do it.

One thing I did to it is to put a 1º slant on this face. Simple change, but it gives it a bit more oomph I thought. Subtle, but makes it a bit more lively.

Unless you’re a total type dork, I doubt this will strike anyone as something that unique. I just like that it’s something I made and that it’s exclusive to me.