A really, really long time ago, I watched a movie called ‘The China Syndrome’ (starring Jane Fonda, Jack Lemon and Michael Douglas). It was one of those disaster movies that were quite popular at the time (I also recall airports, alien viruses and skyscraper fires). Anyway, when I finished this font, I suddenly (and quite inexplicably) remembered that movie, so I named this font after it. China Syndrome is a legible brush font - ideal for your product packaging and halloween posters. Maybe use it for a metal album cover, a book about nuclear disasters or, dunno, the logo of your really strong coffee brand. Whatever. Just enjoy!

English Monarchs is a unique font collection with accurate digital replicas of 84 signatures of English and British monarchs from Richard II through Elizabeth II, including many of the royal consorts. Also included in this font are the Stuart pretenders and Mary Queen of Scots and her consort. A must-have for autograph collectors, desktop publishers, history buffs, fans, or anyone who has ever dreamed of sending a letter, card, or e-mail "signed" as if by one of these famous nobles. This font behaves exactly like any other font. Each signature is mapped to a regular character on your keyboard. Open any Windows application, select the installed font, and type a letter, and the signature will appear at that point on the page. Painstaking craftsmanship and an incredible collection of hard-to-find signatures go into this one-of-a-kind font. Comes with a character map. This font includes signatures from the following noble figures: Richard II, Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, Margaret of Anjou, Edward IV, Elizabeth Woodville, Edward V, Richard III, Henry VII, Elizabeth of York, Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, Catherine Parr, Edward VI, Lady Jane Grey, Mary I Tudor, Elizabeth I, James I, Charles I, Henrietta Maria of France, Oliver Cromwell, Richard Cromwell, Charles II, Catherine of Braganza, James II, William III, Mary II, Anne, Prince George of Denmark, George I, George II, George III, George IV, William IV, Victoria, Prince Albert, Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, Wallis Warfield Simpson, George VI, Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Princess Diana, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, Prince James Edward Stuart, Prince Charles Edward Stuart, Mary Queen of Scots, Henry Stuart Darnley, Francis II of France.

Dream Within a Dream was the title of exhibition of Czech art inspired by the work of Edgar Allan Poe curated by Otto M Urban and Veronika Hulíková. Three dozens of artists exhibited their works in the Czech National Gallery in 2020. The cataloguje was printed with the use of the present typeface. Artists took significant interest in Poe's literary oeuvre only after the writer's untimely death. This was mainly thanks to the poet Charles Baudelaire who translated Poe's works to French. As early as in the second half of the 19th century, prominent artists such as Edouard Manet, Odilon Redon, James Ensor and Gustave Doré created remarkable artworks inspired by Poe. Although the first Czech translations of Poe's woks date to the 1850s, artworks inspired by them only appeared several decades later, at the turn on the 20th century. Poe's poems and short stories inspired František Kupka and soon after him, Josef Váchal, Jan Konůpek and František Kobliha. Alfred Kubin, a German artist born in Bohemia, made illustrations for the German translation of Poe's collected stories. Later on, Alén Diviš and František Tichý created further Poe-inspired artworks. Poe was a source of inspiration for Jan Švankmajer and more recently, František Štorm and Jaroslav Róna.

Tiresias was designed for subtitling by Dr. John Gill from the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB), in the United Kingdom. The Tiresias font is designed to have characters that are easy to distinguish from each other, especially important for the visually impaired. The following key factors were considered during the design process: character shapes, relative weight of character stokes, intercharacter spacing, and aspect ratios that affect the maximum size at which the type could be used. The benefits of the Tiresias font are greatest on lower resolution displays, such as televisions, train and airline information terminals, and low resolution displays on wireless communication and handheld devices. InfoFont is for printed instructions on public terminals where legibility is the primary consideration; these instructions are often read at a distance of 30 to 70 cm. Infofont is not designed for large quantities of text. The Tiresias LPfont is a large print typeface specifically designed for people with low vision. Large print publications should be designed to specifically help with reading problems, and should not just be an enlarged version of the ordinary print. The Tiresias LPfont family, made up of roman, italic, and bold weights, was designed to address and solve these issues. The RNIB developed PCfont for people with low vision to use on computer screens. It is designed for use at larger sizes only. PCfont includes delta hinting technology in the font to ensure pixel-perfect display at key sizes. Signfont is for fixed (not internally illuminated) signage. The recommended usage is white or yellow characters on a matt dark background. Note that the “Z” versions have slashed zeroes, and are identical in all other respects. These faces were developed together with Dr. John Gill of the National Institute of the Blind, Dr. Janet Silver; optometrist of Moorfields Eye Hospital, Chris Sharville of Laker Sharville Design Associates, and Peter O'Donnell; type consultant. Tiresias himself is a figure from Greek mythology, a blind prophet from Thebes.

Aure Brash speaks with the cheeky inuendo of a sassy parrot. The quirky forms of this unique outline font engage the reader with a subtext of whimsy. Designed for its visual impact, Brash stands out as a title font and offers delightful possibilities for graphic imagery. Brash is an original design developed by Aurora Isaac. After more than a decade in development, 2018 marks the first release of the CJ and KB glyphsets. The CJ glyphset is a full text font with an extended set of lowercase and uppercase glyphs supporting a variety of European languages. Additional glyphs include standard ligatures, four variations of the ampersand, and check-mark and happy-face with their companions x-mark and grumpy-face. Numbers are available in lining and oldstyle versions, with numerators and denominators for forming fractions. Companion glyphs include Roman numerals, specialized glyphs for indicating ordinals, and a variety of mathematical symbols and operators. The CJ glyphset also includes an extended set of glyphs for typesetting Western Astrology. These glyphs are also available separately in the KB glyphset: a symbol font re-coded to allow easy keyboard access for the most commonly used glyphs. Brash is not designed for use in extended text. It shows its strength paired with strong text fonts such as Aure Jane or Aure Teddy. Used sparingly, Brash will add witty highlights to catch the reader's eye. Give Aure Brash a trial run! You may discover a permanent place for this font family in your typographic palette. AureFontDesign.com

Aure Nox inspires the chill whimsy of a haunted forest. The roughhewn forms of this decorative, sans-serif font engage the reader with a subtext of rakish charm. Surprisingly legible, Nox adds a bit of rebelious sass to text and titles, and a daring stance to astrological expressions and chartwheels. Nox is an original design developed by Aurora Isaac. After more than a decade in development, 2018 marks the first release of the CJ and KB glyphsets in regular, italic, bold, and bold-italic. The CJ glyphset is a full text font supporting a variety of European languages. A matching set of small-caps complements the extended lowercase and uppercase glyphsets. Supporting glyphs include standard ligatures, four variations of the ampersand, and check-mark and happy-face with their companions x-mark and grumpy-face. Numbers are available in lining, oldstyle, and small versions with numerators and denominators for forming fractions. Companion glyphs include Roman numerals, specialized glyphs for indicating ordinals, and a variety of mathematical symbols and operators. The CJ glyphset also includes an extended set of glyphs for typesetting Western Astrology. These glyphs are also available separately in the KB glyphset: a symbol font re-coded to allow easy keyboard access for the most commonly used glyphs. Though Nox stands well on its own as a text font, the more traditional sans-serif forms of Aure Jane pair well as an innocuous foil to Nox's brazen presence. Give Aure Nox a trial run! You may discover a permanent place for this font family in your typographic palette. AureFontDesign.com

Aure Westra embodies the liquid look of a broad-nibbed ink pen. These bold forms engage the reader with a subtext of exotic wisdom. Westra’s entrancing flow brings a dramatic intrigue to text and titles and an esoteric savor to astrological expressions and chartwheels. Westra is an original design developed by Aurora Isaac, first released in the LP glyphset in 2011. After more than a decade in development, 2018 marks the release of the CJ and KB glyphsets. The CJ glyphset is a full text font with an extended set of lowercase and uppercase glyphs supporting a variety of European languages. Additional glyphs include standard ligatures, four variations of the ampersand, and check-mark and happy-face with their companions x-mark and grumpy-face. Numbers are available in lining and oldstyle versions, with numerators and denominators for forming fractions. Companion glyphs include Roman numerals, specialized glyphs for indicating ordinals, and a variety of mathematical symbols and operators. The CJ glyphset also includes an extended set of glyphs for typesetting Western Astrology. These glyphs are also available separately in the KB glyphset: a symbol font re-coded to allow easy keyboard access for the most commonly used glyphs. The unique look of Aure Westra stands on its own as a text font. Where needed, use the clean lines of Aure Jane to provide contrasting text that will showcase Westra’s exotic nature. Give Aure Westra a trial run! You may discover a permanent place for this font family in your typographic palette. AureFontDesign.com

First Ladies is a unique collection of signatures of almost all of the First Ladies of the United States plus the First Lady of the Confederacy in a high-quality font. A must-have for autograph collectors, desktop publishers, lovers of history, or anyone who has ever dreamed of sending a letter, card, or e-mail “signed” as if by one of these famous women. This font includes 45 signatures for the following First Ladies: Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, Abigail Smith Adams, Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson, Dolley Payne Todd Madison, Elizabeth Kortright Monroe, Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, Rachel Donelson Jackson, Anna Tuthill Symmes Harrison, Julia Gardiner Tyler, Sarah Childress Polk, Margaret Mackall Smith Taylor, Abigail Powers Fillmore, Jane Means Appleton Pierce, Harriet Lane, Mary Todd Lincoln, Eliza McCardle Johnson, Julia Dent Grant, Lucy Ware Webb Hayes, Lucretia Rudolph Garfield, Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur, Frances Folsom Cleveland, Caroline Lavinia Scott Harrison, Frances Folsom Cleveland, Ida Saxton McKinley, Edith Kermit Cardow Roosevelt, Helen Herron Taft, Ellen Axson Wilson, Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, Florence Kling Harding, Grace Anna Goodhue Coolidge, Lou Henry Hoover, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, Elizabeth Virginia Wallace Truman, Mamie Geneva Doud Eisenhower, Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy, Claudia Taylor (Lady Bird) Johnson, Patricia Ryan Nixon, Elizabeth Bloomer Ford, Rosalynn Smith Carter, Nancy Davis Reagan, Barbara Pierce Bush, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Laura Welch Bush, Michelle Obama, and Varina Howell Davis (First Lady of the Confederacy). This font behaves exactly like any other font. Each signature is mapped to a regular character on your keyboard. Open any Windows application, select the installed font, and type a letter, and the signature will appear at that point on the page. Painstaking craftsmanship and an incredible collection of hard-to-find signatures go into this one-of-a-kind font. Comes with a character map.

Aure Teddy emanates the trusting tenderness of a favorite teddy bear. The hand-penned look of these forms engages the reader with a subtext of comfort. Teddy is delightfully legible as a text font and works well where a more organic look is wanted. It brings an unassuming charm to text and titles and a welcome empathy to astrological expressions and chartwheels. Its engaging charcter serves well in labeling diagrams and personalizing nametags. Teddy is an original design developed by Aurora Isaac. After more than a decade in development, 2018 marks the first release of the CJ and KB glyphsets in regular, italic, bold, and bold-italic. The CJ glyphset is a full text font supporting a variety of European languages. A matching set of small-caps complements the extended lowercase and uppercase glyphsets. Supporting glyphs include standard ligatures, four variations of the ampersand, and check-mark and happy-face with their companions x-mark and grumpy-face. Numbers are available in lining, oldstyle, and small versions, with numerators and denominators for forming fractions. Companion glyphs include Roman numerals, specialized glyphs for indicating ordinals, and a variety of mathematical symbols and operators. The CJ glyphset also includes an extended set of glyphs for typesetting Western Astrology. These glyphs are also available separately in the KB glyphset: a symbol font re-coded to allow easy keyboard access for the most commonly used glyphs. Aure Teddy fills a unique niche, being a modestly decorative font as well as a competant text font. Like Aure Jane, Aure Teddy serves well paired with the decorative touches of Aure Brash and Aure Sable. Give Aure Teddy a trial run! You may discover a permanent place for this font family in your typographic palette. AureFontDesign.com

Aure Sable embodies the entrancing mistique of an adventurous spirit. The fluid forms of this brush font engage the reader with a subtext of serendipitious happenstance. Sable Regular brings the soft touch of familiarity to text and titles and imbues astrological expressions and chartwheels with an exotic intrigue. The graceful forms of Sable Italic add the flowing touch of a personal comunique. Sable is an original design developed by Aurora Isaac. After more than a decade in development, 2018 marks the first release of the CJ and KB glyphsets in regular and italic. The CJ glyphset is a full text font with an extended set of lowercase and uppercase glyphs supporting a variety of European languages. Additional glyphs include standard ligatures, four variations of the ampersand, and check-mark and happy-face with their companions x-mark and grumpy-face. Numbers are available in lining and oldstyle versions, with numerators and denominators for forming fractions. Companion glyphs include Roman numerals, specialized glyphs for indicating ordinals, and a variety of mathematical symbols and operators. The CJ glyphset also includes an extended set of glyphs for typesetting Western Astrology. These glyphs are also available separately in the KB glyphset: a symbol font re-coded to allow easy keyboard access for the most commonly used glyphs. Aure Sable is engaging as a text font, but its empathic nature radiates against more traditional fonts that provide the perfect foil to Sable's casual persona. Pair Sable with the formal look of geometric fonts such as Aure Jane and Aure Declare to accentuate Sable's heartfelt nature. Give Aure Sable a trial run! You may discover a permanent place for this font family in your typographic palette. AureFontDesign.com

Hollywood Stars (Volume 1) is a unique collection of signatures of 92 famous Hollywood stars in a high-quality font. A must-have for autograph collectors, desktop publishers, lovers of the arts, history, movie buffs, fans, or anyone who has ever dreamed of sending a letter, card, or e-mail "signed" as if by one of these famous Hollywood celebrities. This font includes signatures from the following Hollywood personalities: Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Ben Stiller, Kate Beckinsale, Steve Buscemi, Mel Gibson, Helen Hunt, Paul Reiser, Angelina Jolie, George Kennedy, Larry King, Edward Norton, Mira Sorvino, Steven Spielberg, Kate Winslet, Daniel Day Lewis, Laura San Giacomo, Holly Hunter, Jane Fonda, Alan Alda, Robbin, Williams, Alan Rickman, Al Pacino, Drew Barrymore, Bob Newhart, Brooke Shields, Burt Reynolds, Keira Knightley, Cheryl Ladd, Basil Rathbone, Minnie Driver, Debra Messing, David Schwimmer, Clint Eastwood, David Hyde Pierce, Burgess Meredith, Donald Trump, Linda Evans, Tony Danza, Gene Wilder, Cameron Diaz, Judi Dench, George Clooney, Nicolas Cage, Timothy Hutton, Jennifer Garner, Jay Leno, Tony Curtis, Suzanne Somers, Connie Selleca, Donald Sutherland, Jack Klugman, Tony Randall, Matthew Perry, Jenna Elfman, Morgan Fairchild, Jack Nicholson, Chazz Palminteri, Dustin Hoffman, Anthony Hopkins, Walter Matthau, Larry Hagman, Lisa Kudrow, Bill Cosby, John Mahoney, Ray Liotta, Jon Voight, Christian Slater, Chris Cooper, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Drew Carey, Eli Wallach, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Amanda Seyfried, Danny DeVito, Gary Sinise, Mary Tyler Moore, Edward Asner, Will Rogers, Cuba Gooding Jr., Bela Lugosi, Charles Grodin, Victoria Principal, Winona Ryder, Tea Leoni, Matt Damon, Loni Anderson, Emma Thompson, Ed O'Neill, Karl Malden. This font behaves exactly like any other font. Each signature is mapped to a regular character on your keyboard. Open any Windows application, select the installed font, and type a letter, and the signature will appear at that point on the page. Painstaking craftsmanship and an incredible collection of hard-to-find signatures go into this one-of-a-kind font. Comes with a character map.

Western Americana is a unique collection of signatures of 72 famous American frontiersmen, gunslingers, Wild West personalities, outlaws, and Indians in a high-quality font. A must-have for autograph collectors, desktop publishers, lovers of history, or anyone who has ever dreamed of sending a letter, card, or e-mail "signed" as if by one of these famous Western celebrities. This font includes signatures from the following American West personalities: William Frederick Cody ("Buffalo Bill"), George Armstrong Custer, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, Kit Carson, Joseph Brant, David Crockett, Wyatt Earp, Geronimo, James Bowie, Daniel Boone, Sam Houston, Calamity Jane, Sitting Bull, William H. Bonney ("Billy the Kid"), Cole Younger, Bob Younger, Jim Younger, Pat Floyd Garrett, James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok, Squire Boone, Samuel Colt, Gordon William Lillie ("Pawnee Bill"), Annie Oakley, William Barret Travis, Allan Pinkerton, Jose de Galvez, George Rogers Clark, George Crook, John Charles Fremont, George Croghan, Simon Kenton, Maj. Frederick Benteen, James Wilkinson, Nelson Appleton Miles, Philip Kearny, Chief G.H.M. Johnson, William George Fargo, William Barclay "Bat" Masterson, King Philip, Frank James, Eleazer Williams, Henry Wells, Junipero Serra, John Sevier, John Ross, Joseph Virgo, Chief Joseph, Red Jacket, Manuel Lisa, Julian Dubuque, John Augustus Sutter, Manuel Lisa, Jesse James, Jesse James alias Thomas Howard, Manasseh Cutler, Robert Newton Ford, Emmett Dalton, Henry McCarty alias Greenville Mellen Dodge, Edward Zane Carroll Judson ("Ned Buntline"), Rain-in-the-Face, James Robertson, Zebulon Pike, Chief Two Guns White Calf, Pierre Chouteau Jr., Frank Butler, Isaac Shelby, Moses Austin, Moses Cleveland, Rufus Putnam, Pierre Chouteau Sr., Father Pierre Jean De Smet, and Auguste Chouteau. This font behaves exactly like any other font. Each signature is mapped to a regular character on your keyboard. Open any Windows application, select the installed font, and type a letter, and the signature will appear at that point on the page. Painstaking craftsmanship and an incredible collection of hard-to-find signatures go into this one-of-a-kind font. Comes with a character map.

In March 2011, the Society of Typographic Aficionados began organizing a collaborative project that would unite the typographic and design communities. The goal of Font Aid V: Made for Japan was to raise funds to expedite relief efforts after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Nearly 300 contributors from 45 countries sent in over 500 glyphs in a single week. Behind the scenes, volunteers Neil Summerour, Silas Dilworth, Delve Withrington, and Grant Hutchinson were up to their elbows in Adobe Illustrator and Fontlab assembling the typeface. The sheer number of submissions coupled with the complexity of some of the designs caused unforeseen delays in completing the typeface. The team not only managed the immense influx of submissions, it also had several technical hurdles and multiple content reviews to mitigate before the final font could be produced. Several months after the project was initiated, Font Aid V: Made for Japan was finally ready for distribution. With the help of Sogo Japan, all proceeds from sales of this typeface will be delivered directly to organizations in Japan, such as Second Hand and AMDA International (Association of Medical Doctors of Asia). Sogo Japan strives to help circumvent regular international charity channels and the inefficiencies associated with them. Thanks to everyone who participated and helped us spread the word about the Font Aid V: Made for Japan project. In particular, we would like to acknowledge the following individuals and groups for their participation and involvement: Jonathan Abbott, Rui Abreu, Frank Adebiaye, Tim Ahrens, Anonymous, Eero Antturi, Leonardo Aranda, Hector Carrillo Aspano, Danielle Atnip, Alejandro Cabrera Avila, Christophe Badani, Joanne Gyo Young Bae, Ben Balvanz, Cynthia Bataille, Priyanka Batra, Donald Beekman, Hannes Beer, David Berlow, Kevin Beronilla, Fabian Bertschinger, Nicole Bittner, Bart Blubaugh, Dathan Boardman, Andrew Boardman, Joel Vilas Boas, Konstantin Boldovskiy, Scott Boms, Michael Browers, Vickie Burns, Matt Burvill, Daniele Capo, Seymour Caprice, Mauro Caramella, Matevž Čas, Eli Castellanos, Sarah Castillo, Tom Censani, Pinar Ceyhan, Ivette Chacon, Hin-Ching Chan, Sarah Charalambides, Karen Charatan, Sinde Cheung, Todd Childers, Justin Chodzko, Felipe Coca, Antonio Coelho, Jefferson Cortinove, Alan Lima Coutinho, Nick Cox, Nick Curtis, Girish Dalvi, Christopher DeCaro, Thomas C Dempsey, Matt Desmond, Chank Diesel, Anum Durvesh, Suzie Eland, Engy Elboreini, Craig Eliason, Emi Eliason, James Elliott, Grace Engels, Exljbris, Hillary Fayle, Carol Fillip, Jeff Fisher, Scott Fisk, John Foley, Stuart Ford, Mathias Forslund, Brock French, Anina Frischknecht, Eric Frisino, Chiyo Fujimori, Kaela Gallo, Ayesha Garrett, Harald Geisler, Alfonso Gómez-Arzola, Adriana Esteve González, Richard Gregory, James Grieshaber, Grupoingenio, Kemie Guaida, Carlos Fabián Camargo Guerrero, Rachel Han, Erin Harris, Stefan Hattenbach, Magnus Hearn, Marissa Heiken, Georg Herold-Wildfellner, Jamie Homer, Ed Hoskin, Dav[id Hubner], Jonathan Hughes, Rian Hughes, Grant Hutchinson, Xerxes Irani, Masayuki Izumi, Jan Janeček, Hyun Kyung Jang, Julien Janiszewski, Dušan Jelesijevic, Cal Jepps, Meghan Jossick, Evamaria Judkins, July Twenty Fourth, Erica Jung, William K, Claes Källarsson, Kapitza, Asutosh Kar, Arno Kathollnig, Sami Kaunisvirta, Hajime Kawakami, Scott Kaye, Richard Kegler, Anna Keroullé, Bizhan Khodabandeh, Lara Assouad Khoury, Ilona Kincses, Becky King, Sean King, Megan Kirby, Max Kisman, Keith Kitz, Romy Klessen, Akira Kobayashi, Kokin, Kozyndan & Silas Dilworth, Atushi Kunimune, Andreas Kuschner, John Langdon, Ray Larabie, Jess Latham, Kelly D Lawrence, Matic Leban, Chien-Hao Lee, Bryan Levay, Enrico Limcaco, Andreas Lindholm, Andrew Loschiavo, Chris Lozos, Ian Lynam, John Lyttle, Gustavo Machado, Jonathan Mak, Ricardo Marcin, Jeannie Mecorney, Steve Mehallo, Cristina Melo, Martin Mendelsberg, The Midnight Umbrella Studio, Goro Mihok, Ojasvi Mohanty, Ahmed Mohtadi, Alixe Monteil, Veronica Monterosso, Dani Montesinos, Masanobu Moriyama, Misa Moriyama, Pedro Moura, John Moy Jr, Marc Marius Mueller, Shoko Mugikura, Joachim Müller-Lancé, Diane Myers, John Nahmias, Yoshihisa Nakai, Hiroshi Nakayama, Reiko Nara, Nathoo, Titus Nemeth, Nathanael Ng, Ngoc Ngo, Antoninus Niemiec, James Ockelford, Kunihiko Okano, Naotatsu Okuda, Toshi Omagari, Onikeiji, Ozlem Ozkal, Jason Pagura, Hrant Papazian, Brian Jongseong Park, John Passafiume, Patrick Griffin, Alejandro Paul, Vian Peanu, Dylan Pech, Rebecca Penmore, Peter Brugger, Jean François Porchez, Carolyn Porter, Andrew Pothecary, James Puckett, Rachel Hernández Pumarejo, James Random, Liam Roberts, Tom Rogers, David Jonathan Ross, Sumio Sakai, Sana, Stuart Sandler, Rafael Saraiva, Riccardo Sartori, Ai Sasaki, Yee Wen Sat, Agnes Schlenke, Giovanna Scolaro, Roland Scriver, Alessandro Segalini, Shawn Semmes, Jane Sheppard, Josh Sherwood, Paulo Silva, Mark Simonson, Luis Siquot, Greg Smith, Owen Song, James L. Stirling, Nina Stössinger, Tanya Turipamwe Stroh, Kevin Strzelczyk, Neil Summerour, Superfried, Shiho Takahashi, Shuji Takahashi, Yusuke Takeda, Naoyuki Takeshita, Bruno Tenan, Chung-Deh Tien, Tom, Ryoichi Tsunekawa, Alex Tye, Matthew Tyndall, TypoVar, Virginia Valdez, Beatriz Valerio, Tom Varisco, Brayden Varr, Catarina Vaz, Andy Veale, Yvette Claudia Velez, Marie-Anne Verougstraete, Abbie Vickress, Ray Villarreal, Pat Vining, Courtney Waite, Hoyle Wang, Viola Wang, Jim Ward, Grace Watling, Terrance Weinzierl, Robert Weiss, Stuart Weston, Kevin Wijaya, Dave Williams, Beau Williamson, Delve Withrington, Katherine Wood, Neil Woodyatt, Jesvin Yeo, Yokokaku, Kazuhi Yoshikawa, YouWorkForThem, Matt Yow, Charlton Yu, Yuriko, Ron Za, Jayson Zaleski, Víctor Zúñiga

Rian Hughes’ 15th collection of fonts, “112 Hours”, is entirely dedicated to numbers. Culled from a myriad of sources – clock faces, tickets, watches house numbers – it is an eclectic and wide-ranging set. Each font contains only numerals and related punctuation – no letters. A new book has been designed by Hughes to show the collection, and includes sample settings, complete character sets, source material and an introduction. This is available print-to-order on Blurb in paperback and hardback: http://www.blurb.com/b/5539073-112-hours-hardback http://www.blurb.com/b/5539045-112-hours-paperback From the introduction: The idea for this, the fifteenth Device Fonts collection, began when I came across an online auction site dedicated to antique clocks. I was mesmerized by the inventive and bizarre numerals on their faces. Shorn of the need to extend the internal logic of a typeface through the entire alphabet, the designers of these treasures were free to explore interesting forms and shapes that would otherwise be denied them. Given this horological starting point, I decided to produce 12 fonts, each featuring just the numbers from 1 to 12 and, where appropriate, a small set of supporting characters — in most cases, the international currency symbols, a colon, full stop, hyphen, slash and the number sign. 10, 11 and 12 I opted to place in the capital A, B and C slots. Each font is shown in its entirety here. I soon passed 12, so the next logical finish line was 24. Like a typographic Jack Bauer, I soon passed that too -— the more I researched, the more I came across interesting and unique examples that insisted on digitization, or that inspired me to explore some new design direction. The sources broadened to include tickets, numbering machines, ecclesiastical brass plates and more. Though not derived from clock faces, I opted to keep the 1-12 conceit for consistency, which allowed me to design what are effectively numerical ligatures. I finally concluded one hundred fonts over my original estimate at 112. Even though it’s not strictly divisible by 12, the number has a certain symmetry, I reasoned, and was as good a place as any to round off the project. An overview reveals a broad range that nonetheless fall into several loose categories. There are fairly faithful revivals, only diverging from their source material to even out inconsistencies and regularize weighting or shape to make them more functional in a modern context; designs taken directly from the source material, preserving all the inky grit and character of the original; designs that are loosely based on a couple of numbers from the source material but diverge dramatically for reasons of improved aesthetics or mere whim; and entirely new designs with no historical precedent. As projects like this evolve (and, to be frank, get out of hand), they can take you in directions and to places you didn’t envisage when you first set out. Along the way, I corresponded with experts in railway livery, and now know about the history of cab side and smokebox plates; I travelled to the Musée de l’imprimerie in Nantes, France, to examine their numbering machines; I photographed house numbers in Paris, Florence, Venice, Amsterdam and here in the UK; I delved into my collection of tickets, passes and printed ephemera; I visited the Science Museum in London, the Royal Signals Museum in Dorset, and the Museum of London to source early adding machines, war-time telegraphs and post-war ration books. I photographed watches at Worthing Museum, weighing scales large enough to stand on in a Brick Lane pub, and digital station clocks at Baker Street tube station. I went to the London Under-ground archive at Acton Depot, where you can see all manner of vintage enamel signs and woodblock type; I photographed grocer’s stalls in East End street markets; I dug out old clocks I recalled from childhood at my parents’ place, examined old manual typewriters and cash tills, and crouched down with a torch to look at my electricity meter. I found out that Jane Fonda kicked a policeman, and unusually for someone with a lifelong aversion to sport, picked up some horse-racing jargon. I share some of that research here. In many cases I have not been slavish about staying close to the source material if I didn’t think it warranted it, so a close comparison will reveal differences. These changes could be made for aesthetic reasons, functional reasons (the originals didn’t need to be set in any combination, for example), or just reasons of personal taste. Where reference for the additional characters were not available — which was always the case with fonts derived from clock faces — I have endeavored to design them in a sympathetic style. I may even extend some of these to the full alphabet in the future. If I do, these number-only fonts could be considered as experimental design exercises: forays into form to probe interesting new graphic possibilities.