@Thomas Phinney
Fonts & typography. Type designer, expert witness and consultant. ATypI board member. Dad and spouse. He/his or they/theirs
Relays (1)
- wss://relay.ditto.pub – read & write
Recent Notes
Just because a new technology is imperfect today, does not always mean it will remain so.
Every. Single. Generation… of typesetting technology had its naysayers and critics who said it was inferior and would never replace the previous generation.
Calligraphy
Hand-set metal foundry type
Linotype, Monotype and others
Phototypesetting
“Desktop publishing”
I feel similarly about AI and type design. At the very least it is likely to improve to the point where, on a project led by a senior designer, many type design & font production tasks one would have farmed out to more junior associates… will be possible to replace with computers.
It may be a month or a year or several years away.
Yes, this can have negative consequences. But that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
Every. Single. Generation… of typesetting technology had its naysayers and critics who said it was inferior and would never replace the previous generation.
Calligraphy
Hand-set metal foundry type
Linotype, Monotype and others
Phototypesetting
“Desktop publishing”
I feel similarly about AI and type design. At the very least it is likely to improve to the point where, on a project led by a senior designer, many type design & font production tasks one would have farmed out to more junior associates… will be possible to replace with computers.
It may be a month or a year or several years away.
Yes, this can have negative consequences. But that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
Anyone else come across this sort of thing in the Adobe InDesign 2026 font menu? The Regular weight of my latest Tiro Bangla build is showing up as a separate family labeled
(Unknown Script 13)
whil...
@nprofile1q... I would ask Nat McCully about this, perhaps? He would know who to ask. (Or possibly is himself the right person.)
nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpq5ydf0s5h282c2xudq6ny6a893x4cfl2c8pteju56xe4greqwh39s8adfhn nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpqg2ls0s22j9pq5pzatcj3fptwytef6xh...
@nprofile1q... @nprofile1q... Yes, in terms of amount-of-change midpoint, I rather expect the midpoint of 6 to 72 point to be something in the vicinity of 11 to 16 point. Perhaps around 12?
Whenever I go home next I will grab the book so I can check more.
It seems unlikely I would be seriously working on this particular project in the current calendar year. BUT, accumulating source material will probably take a long while, so I want to do that as a distant-background task this year.
Whenever I go home next I will grab the book so I can check more.
It seems unlikely I would be seriously working on this particular project in the current calendar year. BUT, accumulating source material will probably take a long while, so I want to do that as a distant-background task this year.
nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpq5ydf0s5h282c2xudq6ny6a893x4cfl2c8pteju56xe4greqwh39s8adfhn nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpqg2ls0s22j9pq5pzatcj3fptwytef6xh...
@nprofile1q... @nprofile1q... Well, my actual goal is to pick a size that would be an excellent choice for the default master.
I totally recognize that the size that represents the midpoint could be different for, say, spacing vs weight vs x-height vs expanding/condensing vs whatever.... I am actually kind of curious about each of those. But an average would be interesting too.
I totally recognize that the size that represents the midpoint could be different for, say, spacing vs weight vs x-height vs expanding/condensing vs whatever.... I am actually kind of curious about each of those. But an average would be interesting too.
1
Say, @nprofile1q... I have a quick question.
For a typeface cut by ATF, available in 6 to 72 point, where would you say the approximate midpoint of optical size adjustments would be? My default assumption is 12 point, but that is based on… not enough hard data and certainly nothing specific to ATF.
Wishing I had my copy of your book here, but it is at home, and I may not be home again for a couple of days.
For a typeface cut by ATF, available in 6 to 72 point, where would you say the approximate midpoint of optical size adjustments would be? My default assumption is 12 point, but that is based on… not enough hard data and certainly nothing specific to ATF.
Wishing I had my copy of your book here, but it is at home, and I may not be home again for a couple of days.
1
nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpqurzme6hpzan9k8cjp5rvukgx8ywyz8atjavyst2ljc628p0mm75snfuvqd nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpqdzftgypx7x28pst7ac62uhrgt6rhd3v...
@nprofile1q... @nprofile1q... @nprofile1q... This is the company that acquired Meetup, Eventbrite, Vimeo and AOL, among others.
1
nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpq5ku3muexxejt23sl3hxlcwpqwtm2ls383mhp70dwttz4kutcav8qs3lel8 Yeah, I mean who wants to see the first movie if the filmmakers don’t finish the ser...
@nprofile1q... oops, yes I know The Iliad should be the first one.
And actually that has kinda been done (Wolfgang Peterson’s 2004 “Troy”) but that even more thoroughly left out the gods….
And actually that has kinda been done (Wolfgang Peterson’s 2004 “Troy”) but that even more thoroughly left out the gods….
I’m still waiting for the Iliad to come out.
@nprofile1q... Yeah, I mean who wants to see the first movie if the filmmakers don’t finish the series, amiright?
1
Many major graphics/publishing apps have missed the boat with their user interface choices for variable fonts. Given the ongoing steady growth of variable font usage and availability, it seems worth fixing things. The biggest problem, and the easiest one to fix, is lacking ongoing access to axis settings while working with text. Other issues include…
https://www.thomasphinney.com/2026/07/variable-font-ui-is-broken/
https://www.thomasphinney.com/2026/07/variable-font-ui-is-broken/
Videos of talks are being posted from the ATypI global typography conference held at Stanford just a month ago: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0oMAzSh5W9rePCkp2yFW0rfjEfZ3ljJb
Many more to come!
Many more to come!
I don’t understand how the guys in Bollywood can stay so ripped. If I lived in Mumbai I would have to be shackled to a concrete block to keep me from wolfing down chaat and samosas all day.
@nprofile1q... It's the dragging around of the concrete blocks that does it!
Big consulting firm KPMG’s report on AI usage contained many “facts” that appear to have themselves been hallucinated by AI.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/13/kpmg-pulls-report-on-ai-usage-due-to-apparent-hallucinations/
https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/13/kpmg-pulls-report-on-ai-usage-due-to-apparent-hallucinations/