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Why are tech companies making custom typefaces?

arun.is

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Re: Why are tech companies making custom typefaces?

#131

Post by dotancohen »

jimmaswell wrote: post #105
charliecurran wrote: post #15

This is one of those times where as a working creative that frequently reads Hacker News I straight up face palm. I have to imagine a lot of these commenters would say the same in regards to any sort of subjective artistic choice that isn't purely optimized for efficiency. I would like to leave you with a quote by Briano Eno from a really good lecture he gave several years ago that I hope can provide a jumping off po…

Simple hypothesis re: music: our evolutionary advantage was our better brains that let us use pattern matching to understand things, so the brain evolved to reward pattern matching, and listening to music presents it with an easy exercise in pattern matching by predicting when the chorus will repeat, expecting chord progressions to be resolved, etc.

Your post really hits the mark for me. One of my favorite compositions is Beethoven's fifth, and I sometimes find myself identifying a new motif or combination of motifs in that work, even after decades of listening to it. It is a very rich piece, and the motifs develop slowly, simple at first but getting more complex in time. Not more complex motifs, mind you, but the same motif gains a few notes here and there, and sometimes shifts slightly. Very rewarding to find new ones, and only by reading your post do I discover that that piece challenges me actively, as opposed to more passive music.

The Wall and The Downward Spiral have similar elements of challenge, now that I think of it.

Re: Why are tech companies making custom typefaces?

#132

Post by AnIdiotOnTheNet »

aczerepinski wrote: post #57
AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Based on the state of the web in 2018, with it's pop-ups in the middle of the page, cookie warning, laggy scrolling, and image pop-in that moves what you're reading, I find it very difficult to believe that that many people actually care much about the presentation of text.

The fact that marketers get to make their contributions to a website doesn't negate that there's a designer involved who probably cares about typography, color, space, etc.

What I mean is that the company clearly doesn't care all that much about presenting text, so it is difficult to believe that making text more presentable is one of their motivations.

Re: Why are tech companies making custom typefaces?

#134

Post by misterbwong »

lobotryas wrote: post #127
crispyambulance wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Sorry. Thanks, but no need for the phony apology. Typefaces, like other graphic elements, might not be felt to the point of the reader explicitly "recognizing" these contributions. Their impact is real albeit subtle. Designers are aware of that but still work really hard anyway.

How can you demonstrate or prove that the impact is “real”?

I think you're confusing real with measurable.

Re: Why are tech companies making custom typefaces?

#135

Post by tptacek »

bovermyer wrote: post #59
rangibaby wrote: post #42

Font licensing is rent-seeking bullshit on the level of "Mickey Mouse" copyright extensions and I'm surprised the big foundries have managed to convince everyone that they need to pay for typefaces, which are explicitly copyright-free in every major jurisdiction.

Just out of curiosity, how would you suggest that foundries make money?

Tech support.

Re: Why are tech companies making custom typefaces?

#136

Post by Pulcinella »

Kiro wrote: post #113

I don't understand how typeface licensing works. I normally just pay once and be done with it (essentially buying it) but this thread makes it sound like you need to pay by usage or something?

It depends on the use case and who you are licensing it from.

Re: Why are tech companies making custom typefaces?

#137

Post by dceddia »

lobotryas wrote: post #128
H1Supreme wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I worked in graphic design before I made my way into programming full time. My first job was building desktop apps with a team of programmers with very little design sensibilities. As such, there was lots of plain grey, haphazard interfaces. While they functioned fine, they left nearly everything to be desired aesthetically. I received immediate, positive feedback on my initial contributions. Applying basic design to…

The biggest problem is that after this initial, high value work is done the designers are still on the payroll and they still need to demonstrate their value/be doing something. That’s how you get un-necessary UI redesigns and, arguably, custom typefaces. IMHO, designers just don’t know when to stop.

I think the same could be said of developers. Or, maybe in both cases, it's the companies that don't know when to stop.

As a developer, and maybe more relevant here, a user of software, it's kind of surprising how development efforts often continue well past the point of shipping something useful. Now, I'm not arguing that this applies to every software product, or that people should stop at the bare minimum like "welp, we shipped v1, let's pack it up everyone."

But this underlying belief that things must be continually improved is very pervasive in software and even moreso in open source. ("Last commit was 6 months ago? This project is obviously dead!")

I don't know that anything can or should be done to "fix" this, but it's an interesting observation. Think about it next time there's an "upgrade" that breaks something or changes a workflow you liked. Why did that happen?

Re: Why are tech companies making custom typefaces?

#138

Post by true_religion »

gowld wrote: post #91
Vanderson wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He may be bringing up the issue that it's perfectly legal to copy another font visually as long as you don't copy the font's data. (maybe something the author doesn't understand?)

How is that true? Can I copy a book or a painting visually as long as I don't copy its "data"?

No, but typefaces are specifically excluded from copyright. An alphabet is considered to be utilitarian, not art.

Re: Why are tech companies making custom typefaces?

#139

Post by reaperducer »

lobotryas wrote: post #127
crispyambulance wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Sorry. Thanks, but no need for the phony apology. Typefaces, like other graphic elements, might not be felt to the point of the reader explicitly "recognizing" these contributions. Their impact is real albeit subtle. Designers are aware of that but still work really hard anyway.

How can you demonstrate or prove that the impact is “real”?

Add a CSS override to someone's browser that forces web sites to display in Comic Sans.
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