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100 Days of Fonts In Use

A quick look at our first few months, by the numbers.

Contributed by Stephen Coles on Apr 4th, 2011.
    21

    Industries

    12

    Formats

    61

    Typefaces

    30

    Foundries

    Since the launch of Fonts In Use in December 2010, our little labor of love has grown steadily from a hopeful idea to a full-fledged blog with a following. We are so pleased to hear from readers that this project is useful. Usefulness is the central goal and your feedback pushes us to do more.

    I thought it would be interesting to take a quick look at our first 100 days by the numbers (which is really just an excuse to play with Benton Modern Display). We aim for diversity, and while there are many more fields and fonts to cover, I was surprised to discover just how much variety is already up on the board.

    The first 36 posts covered examples from 21 industries (or topics) in a dozen formats (or media). Over 60 typefaces from 30 foundries are represented. While display type will always get more attention, there were also a few case studies that reference text typography, and we plan to focus on more text usage in the near future. Another area that deserves more attention is the elusive and indefinite criteria behind pairing typefaces, but there are a few instructional examples of successful combinations so far.

    On a forward-thinking note, April brings a significant change to Fonts In Use. We are now sponsor supported. This means a subtle shift to the site design (there are now ad spots on the homepage and in the site’s header), but it also means we can devote more time and resources to new and more frequent content from our crop of writers — and some new folks too. So please thank our sponsors for their support by visiting their websites and considering their goods. They all make great things, and we’re proud to be affiliated with them.

    As always, we welcome your suggestions and submissions. I’m sorry we can’t write up every piece submitted, but rest assured we do consider each one, and they are all set aside for inclusion in the full archive to come.

    14 Comments on “100 Days of Fonts In Use

    1. Dan B. says:
      Apr 4th, 2011 11:35 am

      Congratulations on 100 days. I'm looking forward to many more days (and posts).

      Minor complaint about the ads: Although the ads are fairly unobtrusive (which is generally great), the placement of the one on the homepage makes me think it's an article. But maybe it's just a matter of getting used to seeing an ad there.

      And a final question, if I may (and I hope this does not come across the wrong way): Do sponsors influence editorial selection and content in any way?

      Thanks for creating this resource.

    2. Thanks so much for the feedback, Dan. It's always great to get criticism and questions as well as praise.

      We differentiate the sponsored link on the homepage by including the "Sponsor" heading, but we'll definitely keep an ear out in case anyone finds it misleading.

      As for influence from sponsorships: In my opinion, the success of a website like this one relies on presenting a wide variety of material with as unbiased an eye as possible — something I believe we've done well so far. To be honest, if we focused on generating content to please our sponsors, the site probably wouldn't be half as interesting for us or for our readers. Though all our sponsors are doing some great work (we wouldn't agree to partner with them otherwise), we do prefer to maintain a separation between sponsorship and editorial influence.

      Keep up the thoughtful commentary! Feedback like yours keeps things interesting.

    3. I just wanted to say thank you for the site. It is such a good learning tool for me to be able to see the fonts in real-world applications.

      How long does it take you to dissect the typefaces from the project/piece?

    4. Andy, Berlin says:
      Apr 4th, 2011 2:50 pm

      Stumbled upon this blog somewhat by accident, but very glad to have done so. It's a great resource for designers, and fantastic to have such down to earth critiques by people who really know their type. So, congratulations and keep up the good work, looking forward to even more in the future!

    5. How long does it take you to dissect the typefaces from the project/piece?

      It varies, of course, but usually: seconds to identify the typefaces, minutes to decide if it's worthy to post, hours to research and write.

    6. Dan B. says:
      Apr 4th, 2011 4:08 pm

      Nick, thanks for the reply. Your current sponsors are all relevant to me (although I'm familiar with all of them), so I don't mind the ads at all.

    7. Joseph Walsh says:
      Apr 5th, 2011 12:18 am

      Just stopping by to say that I have been checking FIU (that's what it is on my bookmarks toolbar) weekly since you started, I think you have a fabulous site. Please do keep up the great content and typographical insight.

    8. It varies, of course, but usually: seconds to identify the typefaces, minutes to decide if it’s worthy to post, hours to research and write.

      I think you just wrote my gravestone.

    9. This site is an amazing resource, a credit to the internet and to the people who take the time to offer their thoughtful comments on the site.

      As a newcomer to the wonderful world of type I owe all who use this site an huge debt. Thanks and keep up the great work.

    10. Congrats to the first 100 days.

      I thoroughly enjoy the site, for the font id's of course, but it's real value lies in the background info, which is quite a lot harder to come by otherwise.

      Great job guys.

    11. Kudos to you all for recognizing that, despite the glut of typography oriented sites and publications out there, there was a glaring need for a more focused critique and conversation about ”applied typography”, and its place in popular culture.

      I couldn't imagine a savvier group to be doing this. Congrats on your first 100 days.

    12. This is probably one of my favorite blogs that launched recently. Keep up the ood work guys. The post quality is stellar, comparable to Brand New (that is a big compliment).

    13. How long does it take you to dissect the typefaces from the project/piece?

      Seconds to identify the typefaces, minutes to decide if it’s worthy to post, hours to research and weeks to write it up and prepare images.

      André, I think I’ll still go for “Why not”.

    14. I love how informative the writing is, to discuss how different fonts and layouts work. Highly entertaining but informative, for someone who doesn't have time to study typography formally, this website helps. Thanks again.

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