Typography Tuesday

Because the world loves social media, and because the world needs more creative typography, and simply because it's darned neato, FontShop has come up with a site called FontStruct.

While it doesn't necessarily roll off the tongue, the combination of the words "font" and "construct" get the point across: this is a site where you can construct fonts. (Or perhaps this is a term for being bludgeoned by a slab serif? As in: "I was FontStruct." Maybe not.) This is what the site has to say for itself:

"FontStruct is a free font-building tool brought to you by the world’s leading retailer of digital type, FontShop.

FontStruct lets you quickly and easily create fonts constructed out of geometrical shapes, which are arranged in a grid pattern, like tiles or bricks.

You create ‘FontStructions’ using the ‘FontStructor’ font editor.

Once you're done building, FontStruct generates high-quality TrueType fonts, ready to use in any Mac or Windows application."

Proof that the grid system is far more versatile than it sounds, and that limitation begets creativity, FontStruct already boasts over 9,340 fonts available for download. Mind you, that's just the number of public fonts, not the total number of fonts created.

Pretty spiffy.

Typography Tuesday

ould this be the best typographic eye candy site ever? Quite possibly. I'm talking about the Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische. If you dig her work you can even use it yourself (just be sure to follow the usage limitations).

Thanks to Death By Kerning for the Hische tip!

Typography Tuesday

Miracle of Miracles! It's Typography Tuesday! On TUESDAY! Wow.

Getting on with it, the final installment of the Typography Tuesday look at alphabet blocks brings us to a fun and highly unconventional set from Xylocopa: the Young Mad Scientist's First Alphabet Blocks.

There are only 5 in the set, but it seems scientifically appropriate to use an Occam's razor approach to the classic toys, particularly when this kind of stunning detail is laser engraved onto each one. So why mad scientist blocks (aside from the fact that their thoroughly cool...)? To quote from their site, "Like many of you, we are concerned about the state of science education in the public school system, especially in the lower grades. Specifically, we have noticed that there is absolutely no training in the K-6 grades that prepares students to become mad scientists." Indeed. Thank you, Xylocopa, for filling the hole in mad science related children's toys.

And while I would not have associated 1800's ornamental type with mad science, the little DNA-like decorations in the letter forms have me convinced. These blocks are undeniably awesome.