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, and Adobe Fonts.
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
- 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.