Typekit
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- Scotch_Roman
Dunno if this has been linked here before, but after reading this... I'm so excited I think I might throw up.
http://blog.typekit.com/2009/05/…
(link from jaylarson)
- Blue_Balls0
sweet like candy!
- fyoucher10
yet again...one of those things I should have thought of that will end up making a ton of loot.
- lukus_W0
I'm not so sure about this... it seems like a proprietary solution (where I believe the web should be open), and we'd all be tied to using these guys forever more.
I might have not got the point, but it seems like it's going to work with @font-face; in which case, what will it offer above just using @font-face with our own purchased fonts? I imagine the only benefit is the legal blessing of the foundries.
- Yes to the last part... supposedly licensing would allow for this, whereas on your own it might violate EULA...ismith
- foobaz0
- no it um doesn'tversion3
- um...yes it um does and I would rather rely on a local flash file than some service somewhere.foobaz
- so how good is sifr rendering on ihardware? that's what i thoughtversion3
- "ihardware"? You mean the iPhone which doesn't support flash? yeah it degrades to the assigned font...you think calling that font will be fast over 3G?foobaz
- that font through a service via Edge or 3G is going to be fast?foobaz
- lukus_W0
sIRF isn't ideal, and neither is something like Cufon.
We do need another solution... at present @font-face is going to become the norm, whether the foundries like it or not; simply because the browser manufacturers have gone (or are going to go) ahead with implementation.
@font-face will work beautifully on it's own. If a user doesn't have the font your site requires; they will be provided with it in the format the font has been created in (OTF or TTF). Your text will be rendered. End of story...
BUT no, this isn't good - because it means that each site visitor gets a copy of the ttf/otf in question. So how can the foundries be appeased?
[1] EOT -> Microsoft's solution donated to the W3C, which is a little like a DRM re-encoding of the font. It will allow you to put yr font into the encoder, and get a specially crippled version of the font out the other end. There are quite a few problems with this; and I think on the face of it, it's really just a token gesture designed to make the foundries feel better. Imo, DRM just simply doesn't work, because it goes against the very nature of digital content (i.e. that it's infinitely copy-able)
But EOT would allow us to use our currently licenced fonts at no extra cost.
and then we have...
[2] Typekit -> a _platform_ for typography .. 'revolutionising typography on the web' in the same way that itunes revolutionised the sale of music.
It still works with @font-face - but the fonts are served from official servers. A new service is provided and the foundries aren't just appeased -> they're given a new revenue stream. I wonder which will win.
- Scotch_Roman0
Well whatever the case may be, I'm just glad the days of being forced into using a handful of typefaces for HTML-driven websites are numbered.
Kthxbai.
- Scotch_Roman0
Did I say it was impossible to design a beautiful website using common web fonts? No. I just don't like being so constricted.
Imagine if you were designing a wedding invite that was going to be letterpressed, and polymer plates hadn't been invented yet. You'd be stuck using one of a handful of typefaces. Sure, you could create something beautiful with Baskerville and Franklin Gothic, but it's certainly nice to have more options.
I think it's silly and incredibly limiting for designers to restrict their careers to a mere 4–5 typefaces. I think everyone eventually finds a handful of favorites, but it would be absurd of me to say I could solve any design problem in the world with Helvetica, Avenir, Minion, or Bodoni.
- and pretty crappy ones at that. at least vignelli chose good typefaces with his restrictions.jaylarson
- Exactly. I like Georgia, and Verdana is OK for what it was designed to do...Scotch_Roman
- But I hate projects that relegate the designer to using Arial or Times.Scotch_Roman
- 5timuli0
Unfortunately (unless I'm misunderstanding how this works) TypeKit uses JavaScript, not CSS, which is yet another obstacle getting in the way of true @font-face implementation and another excuse forthe foundries not to develop/modify their EULA to allow font linking.
I'm not convinced it will last in the long term, but it's certainly a great option in the mean time.
- 5timuli0
The only way I can see foundries being happy is if they develop a method of hosting their fonts on dedicated on-site foundry servers, encrypted in such a way that the fonts can't be downloaded. That way they'll have total control.
- run with that idea, it's goodversion3
- +1Scotch_Roman
- < this is exactly what typekit is. They are acting as the intermediary for the foundrieslukus_W
- I meant let the foundries host the font files on their servers. Totally removing the need for externally distributed files.5timuli
- And hopefully, not using JavaScript to slow things down.5timuli
- mikotondria30
I think the engineering concept is fine, but the revnue model is all wrong. The end user, rather than the developer/content creator should be the ones paying. Bundle it into the cost of Windows or OSn, make it a one-time payment for the lefty -nixers..
That's how you currently pay for the fonts you get, nothing is free.- but going by that concept the end user _can_ pay.. if you as a designer choose to pass the cost onlukus_W
- BonSeff0
bump
- graham0
Anyone need an invite?
- knars0
this thread's glasses have slipped. i suggest you push them back up.
- Etype0
i want an invite
- plash0
Now that there is a free trail. any thoughts on this typekit.com.
- ukit0
Great looking site. But once people try this out, are they really going to be content with the selection of fonts provided in a single library like that? Or will they just go for the @font face solution lukus was talking about?
- ukit0
Also - what happens when typekit server goes down - your fonts stop working?
- lumedia0
this seems like a temporary solution...
In the end font licenses will include web use and you will just have a 'fonts' folder on the server. The user will download a temp version of the fonts you used to render the web page.
I am not a web designer, but am I right?