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I'm generally very against of being a fan of anything, I've always thought it like being a walking ad for companies, emporiums and bigger controlling economic forces and brands, but as type is my one true passion, here are the fonts I consider the best of all.
Difficult to choose just ten, of course. |
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1. Briem Akademi |
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A wonderful example of beautiful geometry and how basic angles can turn into distinctive letterforms, by one of the contemporary masters, icelandic Briem Gunnlaugur. I wish I could attend his lectures and classes one day... What I Like the most of it is the risk taken for the compressed version of the family, simply awesome! |
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2. Sloop |
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Calligrapher Raphael Boguslav drew this marvellous script set in the nineteen nineties and a very prestigious type vendor had it masterfully digitized.
In my opinion, one of the most elegant and sophisticated alphabets of all time. |
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3. Authentic |
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In 1999, german designer Karen Huschka made this masterpiece for a famous distributor's annual type contest, now defunct. What I love of this face is the novelty in the interpretation of glyphs like the lowercase "e", "a" and "r". It has quite a strong and unique character. |
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4. Imago |
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This font was released in 1982 but i'm sure it's an interpretation of an earlier (1960s) family, as I've seen it printed on ads of that decade. Anyway, it's my one option for text, headlines, and even logo work. I take Imago as my own Univers or Helvetica, I simply love the way it looks. |
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5. Aster |
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Francesco Simoncini's superb face from 1958 has graced tons of books in spanish since i can remember. Most of the literature I read in my younger years was set with this distinctive, personal typestyle. It's still in wide use due to its friendly facade and rather dark texture. Editors at Mexico's Fondo de Cultura Economica use it thoroughly. |
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6. Sys |
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"Futurist" faces have already reached what was then the future to become a uniform, monotonous design present, so between a myriad of "techno" fonts, very few stand out for their originality or detail. This italian creation is the exception. Essential. |
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7. Melior |
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Among the most innovative typefaces of the 20th century was this font designed in 1952 by Zapf for the then prolific Stempel foundry. I first met it in my Zip-a-tone catalogue of the late seventies. The architecture of Melior is simply precious, with its oval-in-a-rectangle geometrics, and the italic is sleek, readable and full of design poise. |
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8. Knockout |
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One of the sharpest font families of recent years is this robust design from Jonathan Hoefler. It reflects the perfect insertion of classic industrial era simplicity in the neoliberal "transparent" times we now live. Fabulous are the different weights, widths and color, not to mention the creativity of its naming system. |
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9. Serif Gothic |
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A classic 1970s font, this typeface was so thoroughly used in the 1975-1985 period that it ended up a little too tired and obvious, but with the passing of time there lies its strength, as it continues to be one of the best options for those vintage ads and headlines. This alphabet clearly represents the style of its creator, Herb Lubalin, who made it in 1972 with the creative help of the also legendary Antonio DeSpigna. |
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10. Electrasonic |
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OK, I'm a fan, I'll face it. I'm a huge Rian Hughes fan. His business mind, his illustration work, his being so deservedly recognized in England and most of all, his font body of work. |
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