In this article and accompanying video, Frank celebrates the release of the one-millionth digital font, looks back at the evolution of typeface design and distribution, and provides a comprehensive list of sources of digital fonts.
By Andrea Leksen
How did you discover your passion for typography? I’ve been interested in typography ever since I became a graphic designer eighteen years ago, but it wasn’t until Seattle Pacific University asked me to teach typography courses, like Advanced Typography, in 2011 that I became addicted. I went to my first typography conference in Seattle, where I took a workshop on type design by Sumner Stone and was introduced to a group called Type Tuesday, which has now become a chapter of the international organization TypeThursday. There, I met fellow typoholics, became exposed to fascinating type design projects and started attending typography conferences regularly. I was smitten! The second year I taught Advanced Typography, I included a type design project in the curriculum and made my first typeface, Bemis, with my students. While I never felt like I fit in with the design crowd, I immediately felt at home with the geeky, detail-oriented and down-to-earth typography wor