Criteria for inclusion
Atlas of Type focuses on active independent type designers/foundries distributing their fonts themselves, or via a handful of reputable partners. Some demarcations:
- active: having released a new typeface, or an update to an existing typeface, in the past decade (2015+).
- independent: not owned by monopolistic entities.
- reputable partners: currently Future Fonts, I Love Typography, Type Network, Fontstand, Adobe Fonts, and Typographer.
At the moment there’s no system in place for retiring existing entries from the Atlas when changes in status occur.
Data gathering
I rely on a combination of sources to keep up with new typefaces releases:
- foundry newsletters
- RSS feeds
- fediverse posts
- the list of recent releases on FS, FF, AF, TN, ILT, TP.
- newly submitted names to fontdata.
I also check for omissions with other type news outlets: Typecache, the Identifont blog, Proof&Co.’s Weekly Ledger, etc.
To obtain the basic facts about a typeface, I start by looking at the information provided by the foundry or designer:
- the dedicated page on the foundry’s website;
- the PDF specimen;
- the trial font metadata (inspected with Roel Nieskens’s Wakamai Fondue);
- announcements on corporate social media.
I also corroborate the information with high-quality sources such as Fonts in Use and Future Fonts.
Typeface images
Sample images in PNG format illustrate individual typeface entries. I make these using the type tester widgets provided on foundry pages or with trial fonts, or otherwise crop them out of static images or PDFs.