Here are some of my pics of the TypeCooker workshop. Hosted together with Paul van der Laan, both the drawing and the critique were a lot of fun. Thanks for taking part and submitting your drawings!

Here’s another peek at the results of the digitisation project. A total of 89 unique contributions, this illustrates that the method developed to normalise the data gets good results, both for comparing the outlines as well as positioning the bitmap.

This image also shows that there is an enormous differentiation between the way specific landmarks are interpreted.

More results, fancy images, list of contributors will follow.

Found a pic of my dad and my brother.

Formatted for print, this introduction to Python scripting and RoboFab is still a useful resource. Originally written for the 2009 Robothon, it has updated URLs. Useful reading whether you work in RoboFont (more RoboFont docs), Glyphs (more Glyphs docs) or FontLab (more FontLab docs)

TypeSizer window

If you are an InDesign user and you are involved in typography for reading sizes, this might be for you. TypeSizer is a small tool, a javascript for InDesign. Its buttons increase or decrease the size of the selected text by 0.25%. This means that small sizes will change in a very small amount, and big sizes will change in big steps.

Just think that with linear steps in point size, the increment gets smaller when the type gets bigger. A +0.5 step on a 6 point text is about 8%, but a +0.5 step on 30 point text is only 0.016%. See what I’m getting at? TypeSizer lets you take 0.25% proportional steps relative to the size of the text. The point size will become a non-integer, but hey, this is why we have scalable type. Your readers deserve your attention. Real microtypography geeks rock the floats on text sizes.

TypeMedia alumnus Colin M. Ford did most of the heavy lifting on implementing the tool and describes it in great detail. Download link and more info here.

House Industries launched a beautiful new photo app for iOS. Use the exclusive PhotoLettering alphabets to create instant captions on top of your photos, then share them. The alphabets are picked from the PhotoLettering collection. The interface is joy to play with. A lovely blend of the exuberant Photolettering graphics and the refined House Industries touch for color and type. [iTunes link]

An improvised 10 minute sign for a TimeBank event.

To complete the typographic highlights of this photo: in the background a House Industries Eames 2 print. Next to that, the TypoMan puppet made by Elizabeth Pick for the occasion of the Charles Nypels Award, all the way back in 2000.

This is your chance to contribute to a small science experiment! I’m collecting different digitizations of the same scanned image. TypeMedia students, alumni and colleagues have already entered their points but I need more data. The results will be part of a fun statistical project. Please take 30 minutes and participate, follow the instructions here.

Salmiakki!

If you have an old copy of Salmiak, drop me a line and I will let you know when it is out. Free update for old and loyal users—if you have some sort of proof of purchase. Would there be any interest in a Salmiak webfont?