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This one will be slightly wider than most sans serif faces, but not too much. The endings will be rounded, a recent design trend that has been catching on. I noticed t-mobile has started using VAG rounded here in the states and that got the wheels turning. GE commissioned their own face , using VAG rounded as the base. What is unique about Chennai, as it is tentatively titled, is by using the OpenType stylistic alternates you can change how the face looks. I have always incorporated stylistic alternates in my typefaces, but they work especially well for this typeface. You can see an example above. For example, you could use the more simplified version for headings, but the alternate for text. To be honest, I haven’t decided which version will be dominant. More on the GE branding.

Koelle Ornaments is complete! From the description: The Koelle Ornaments series is based on the etchings of Chris Koelle of Portland Studios. This is the second collaboration between insigne and Portland Studios; the first yielded the inky and active script Blue Goblet. Chris has a unique style where he “frames” his work with small icons related to the story or subject. These are now available as Koelle ornaments. Koelle Ornaments have a gritty, used appearance, and have a late 70’s stylistic feel to them. There are 145 highly detailed illustrations in the entire pack, separated into four different fonts. These illustrations can be resized without any loss of quality, and can be easily converted to outlines and modified. Some of the ornaments have a Christian theme, while others are more generic. To view what ornaments are available and the keys they map to, please view the sample pdf. The sample .pdf is an excellent reference guide, and we encourage you to print it out to quickly refe...

Forget squeezing millions from a few megahits at the top of the charts. The future of entertainment is in the millions of niche markets at the shallow end of the bitstream. I recently stumbled across a business/statistics term I hadn’t heard of before; the long tail. It was just recently coined by Chris Anderson in 2004. On the supply curve, it is the products that are out of range of the sweet spot or the most popular products. In the future to survive, businesses will have to offer more choices to their customers and become specialized, essentially flattening the demand curve. The internet has allowed the chance for more specialized products to be distributed at affordable prices. In a bookstore you only have so much space for your product; Amazon has unlimited space. In the type design world, smaller foundries are essential to this process, offering more and more choices and specialization. Don’t let anyone tell you we have enough fonts. Wired article Wikipedia article

This one has been making the rounds, but I am sure there are a few that haven't seen these yet. Behold, Soviet bus stops. It seems the CCCP invested a fair amount of their GDP in producing these. The workers united to produce some genuinely unique bus stops, and some could use some "usability" analysis. Lets take a look, shall we? The central committee, in their wisdom, decided that birds were a must, roofs were optional. Vladimir, enough paint. Lets just stand these two concrete slabs on end and call it a day. Is it an overpass or some sort of Soviet skate park? In all fairness, I actually like this one. Doubles as a kiln. Nice composition. Not sure how the guy riding the bike really works with the geometric thing they have going on here, but hey. Maybe the artist just really liked those old-timey bikes. More of the triumph of socialism here . The photographer that took these is named Christopher Herwig. He compiled these while living in central Asia for a few years. He...

I like to draw inspiration from a wide range of art forms. This brings us to a new regular feature on the site I will be labeling "Inspiration." Inspiration will feature something well designed or crafted, either a product or piece of art, or even just an idea that has nothing to do with graphic communication. This week, we have the Lexus LF-A. Most of the time, if find Lexus and Acura design rather passe in comparison to BMW , but the Lexus LF-A concept looks very interesting indeed. Have a look.

For my next project, I will be working on digitizing a series of illustrations/etchings from Chris Koelle of Portland Studios . This is my second collaboration with Portland, and I was lucky to go to college with these talented illustrators. Our first collaboration resulted in the inky and playful script Blue Goblet . Chris has a unique style where he “frames” his work with small icons related to the story or subject. Recently, the guys at Portland Studios have been commissioned to create some Christian themed art that is available for purchase, and you can see an example of Chris's style on 12 stoneart . These illustrations are so detailed, when I try to compile the font as OpenType FontLab crashes! Thankfully, TrueType has no such problem, and both Macs and PCs can use the format. To give you a taste of what is to come, here are a few of my favorite “icons” that will be available in dingbat-like format. Some of them have a Christian theme, and some are more generic so I will...

Insigne is pleased to announce that Lorelei is now available for purchase. Lorelei is an exuberant and bouncy script. The ink seems to be slathered onto the surface in a casual and spontaneous manner, making for a flowing and feminine script that is perfect for invitations or greeting cards. The script also contains a large number of OpenType alternates and ligatures to extend the impulsive nature of the lettering. Lorelei is named for a young German maiden that supposedly threw herself into the Rhine. For more information and purchase options, please visit insigne .