Font Fridays: Six Pounds of Type!
This week, we have a special gift for members of the Typedia community—FontBook from FontShop International.
The Big Yellow Book
With 32,000 type samples, representing 90 foundries, and coming in at nearly 2,000 pages, FontBook “is the most complete digital type reference in the world.” Edited by Mai-Linh Thi Truong, Jürgen Siebert, and Erik Spiekermann, FontBook is a reliable and expansive encyclopedia of type; extensive cross-references and specimens make it ideal for finding and selecting the right typeface for your project. Its heft and rigor make it an essential tool for any designer or lover of type.
How it Works
All readers can enter by answering a question in the comments: What’s the one typeface you could never go without? You have until 4pm EDT today to submit your answer. You may only enter once. After 4pm, a winner will be randomly selected, and we’ll announce the name here.
Good luck! But remember, if you don’t win this week, we’ve got more exciting giveaways coming up, so stay tuned!
Update: And we have a winner: Karmen Mlinar! Congrats to Karmen, and many thanks to FontShop International for sponsoring the giveaway. See you all next week!
Comments are closed on this entry.
1.
josh Oct 23, 2009
Helvetica.
2.
Sagamore Oct 23, 2009
Helvetica of course !
3.
magneticshape Oct 23, 2009
The multifunctional Helvetica!
4.
paulrandall Oct 23, 2009
Being mainly web-based, i’d say Verdana
5.
tomliv Oct 23, 2009
Arial.
6.
Prateek Rungta Oct 23, 2009
Helvetica for sure!
7.
dinobib Oct 23, 2009
Futura
8.
mehallo Oct 23, 2009
Adobe Caslon.
9.
Kevin M Jackson Oct 23, 2009
Gotham
10.
Justin Belcher Oct 23, 2009
Caslon
11.
Mike Crittenden Oct 23, 2009
Georgia. The only web-safe serif that’s worth a crap.
12.
stereotypes Oct 23, 2009
Garamond
13.
eraevion Oct 23, 2009
Definitely Arial. How else would we read stuff on the web?
14.
andrewjaustin Oct 23, 2009
I’m a sucker for slab-serifs; so I’d have to say Archer.
15.
ianbarlow Oct 23, 2009
Berthold Akzidenz. No wait. Helvetica. No wait. Akzidenz. No. Univers. Hm…
16.
Haarball Oct 23, 2009
Lucida Grande!
17.
rplantt Oct 23, 2009
Universe.
18.
segen Oct 23, 2009
Serifs
19.
tpanicucci Oct 23, 2009
Trade Gothic Bold Condesned.
20.
voidnothings Oct 23, 2009
I would choose Georgia, a web-safe classic with a twist if you know typography :)
A sample site would be Mark Boulton’s :) http://www.markboulton.co.uk/
21.
Scott Cranfill Oct 23, 2009
Heretical as it may be, I agree with the Web designers above: It has to be Arial.
22.
Riccardo Mori Oct 23, 2009
Gill Sans. I can’t function without Gill Sans.
23.
Paul Kelley Oct 23, 2009
Gotta say Helvetica.
24.
jamesbyers Oct 23, 2009
Helvetica
25.
Chris Pacheco Oct 23, 2009
Georgia, my favourite web-safe font!
26.
nicholaus Oct 23, 2009
Avenir
27.
danielandrews Oct 23, 2009
Working primarily with the web, I’d be lying if I didn’t say Helvetica.
28.
cclarke4 Oct 23, 2009
Georgia makes the web a better place!
29.
Jon Osmond Oct 23, 2009
Museo
30.
Dave S. Oct 23, 2009
DIN
31.
muddypebbles Oct 23, 2009
I can’t go without Futura.
I can go without Papyrus and Fajita though :P Those typefaces should be banished to the 9th level of typographic hell.
32.
Dan Mall Oct 23, 2009
Bodoni.
33.
mrjohnsly Oct 23, 2009
I can’t go without Georgia (or even handwritten Georgia :D)
34.
jeffreymack Oct 23, 2009
Verlag.
35.
Josh Kendall Oct 23, 2009
Myriad Pro
36.
Jim Renaud Oct 23, 2009
I think I could go on living, but a font at random that I adore is Trade Gothic originally design by Jackson Burke in 1948. No other font says mid-century modern better.
37.
TheRumzilla Oct 23, 2009
Rockwell. I’ve never met a better slab serif font.
38.
elgringopelon Oct 23, 2009
Sad but true…. Helvetica.
39.
sthorson Oct 23, 2009
papyrus
40.
André Gonçalves Oct 23, 2009
Soho gothic :)
41.
emisicka Oct 23, 2009
trajan
42.
whiteboxer Oct 23, 2009
Two: Helvetica and Lucinda Grande
43.
roseglow86 Oct 23, 2009
My favorite font is Futura because it was invented tomorrow.
44.
Larry Sawyer Oct 23, 2009
Comic Sans.
Wait, what?
Oh. Georgia, then.
45.
zrinszki Oct 23, 2009
Helvetica Ultra Light
46.
jasonwhittemore Oct 23, 2009
Helvetica Neue LT Std. :)
47.
Michael Kozakewich Oct 23, 2009
Oh, gee. ONE typeface?
I want to be snarky and say ‘Westminster’, but I’d have to go with Trebuchet, if only because it’s a good screen font that I find appealing at larger sizes.
It’s a horrible question to ask, though, because I’d need at LEAST three or four!
48.
chriscoyier Oct 23, 2009
I think I’d be best off picking a solid serif which could work decently as a display font as well as for body copy. Garamond.
49.
gregone Oct 23, 2009
Georgia, because it’s the only nice web-safe font.
50.
andrewlphilpott Oct 23, 2009
*Berthold Akzidenz
51.
hauptdesign Oct 23, 2009
helvetica or garamond. classics forever.
52.
Snailbird Oct 23, 2009
It’s a tie between Garamond and Futura. If really made to pick one, it would be Garamond. I like the old-look it’s got.
53.
pavot Oct 23, 2009
Minion Pro
54.
aaronbacon Oct 23, 2009
Georgia
55.
Karmen Mlinar Oct 23, 2009
Minion Pro.
56.
mkelso00 Oct 23, 2009
Gotham, cause it rocks!
57.
davidtrang Oct 23, 2009
I’m going with my favorite, Avenir
58.
Brian Warren Oct 23, 2009
This may sound silly, but Lucida Grande. I stare at that typeface all day on my Mac. It would be pretty crazy to try to go without it, even for a day.
59.
welcometothesky Oct 23, 2009
Georgia :)
60.
travis_lehman Oct 23, 2009
I could live without any font, if I had to choose one that couldn’t easily be substituted…
Archer
61.
bobholt Oct 23, 2009
Personally, I’d love to say Futura, but since I have to work with it every day: Whitney
62.
kiwiloo Oct 23, 2009
Aller
63.
colinloretz Oct 23, 2009
Georgia!
64.
wreckeddesign Oct 23, 2009
Helvetica. Solid option.
65.
elivz Oct 23, 2009
Avenir, all the way.
66.
Phil Coffman Oct 23, 2009
Knockout
67.
Cristian Lorsson Oct 23, 2009
Helvetica. Grotesque represent!
68.
ev3rywh3re Oct 23, 2009
Comic Sans! Because I need others to have bad font choices to keep me employed!
69.
tomfinley Oct 23, 2009
DIN 1451
70.
konceptsketcher Oct 23, 2009
I must say Arial is the new black! :D
71.
Kyle Fiedler Oct 23, 2009
Gill Sans
72.
santiacuna Oct 23, 2009
Definitely Helvetica.
73.
benthomascreative Oct 23, 2009
Helvetica!
74.
ibuypink Oct 23, 2009
Sorry, but I’ll have to say Helvetica Neue. It’s versatile. And I’m just a bit to influenced by the swiss design.
75.
rekasifactor Oct 23, 2009
Gotham-Ultra cause it’s heavy as f%*k…
76.
2x2x2 Oct 23, 2009
Univers. Beautiful and functional at every size and weight. *I love lists like these.
77.
Hélder Mendes Oct 23, 2009
There are so many of them, but I’ll go with Avenir.
78.
Jason Santa Maria Oct 23, 2009
My heart weeps for all the Helvetica above. :)
For me, it’s Caslon. Hot damn.
79.
Thomas Grimwood-Taylor Oct 23, 2009
hmm… Helvetica. Because its everywhere.
80.
mariehohner Oct 23, 2009
A life without Gotham would be sad.
81.
splittingfield Oct 23, 2009
TheMix
82.
alantrotter Oct 23, 2009
The practical, web-safe answer is Georgia. But the real current font crush is Joanna.
83.
Matthew Kempster Oct 23, 2009
Gotta be Georgia – especially on the web
84.
jackosborne Oct 23, 2009
Lucida Grande.
85.
Martin McClellan Oct 23, 2009
Century Schoolbook. It just always works.
86.
robharrigan Oct 23, 2009
Behemoth crushes.
87.
aetherworld Oct 23, 2009
I’m tempted to say Helvetica. It’s just the best font ever. But Myriad Pro is the new black, so I’m going with that one.
88.
wahkeema Oct 23, 2009
Avenir…couldn’t live without it…literally. My life depends on it.
89.
AndrewSipe Oct 23, 2009
The FF Scala family, great for all things type.
90.
jpalford Oct 23, 2009
Probably Gotham. It’s so functional.
91.
Tony Oct 23, 2009
Gotham, can’t live without it!
92.
luis Oct 23, 2009
Working with RGB, I just can´t live without Arial!
93.
jaredhardy Oct 23, 2009
Life would be less satisfying without Calson.
94.
adambundy Oct 23, 2009
Wow, what a sad situation! I guess I’ll go with Helvetica Neue.
95.
ruudwelten Oct 23, 2009
Gill Sans, have to have it!
96.
fivetwelve Oct 23, 2009
Helvetica followed closely by News Gothic.
97.
Dangerdom Oct 23, 2009
Gotham.
98.
rodgerpatterson Oct 23, 2009
For me it has to Helvetica at the moment
99.
jsultemeier Oct 23, 2009
Gill Sans, Gill Sans, Gill Sans!
100.
BlueStreak Oct 23, 2009
I guess next you’ll want to know which of my kids I love more and can’t live without. I probably get the most utility out of Verdana, but for fun I’m in the mood to say Clarendon today.
101.
Refidnas Oct 23, 2009
Zapf Dingbats.
On second thought, maybe Caslon would be a better choice.
102.
adamestafford Oct 23, 2009
Helvetica. period.
103.
joshnetherton Oct 23, 2009
I’m going to have to say Georgia.
104.
feesh Oct 23, 2009
I’m always a fan of DIN 1451 Engschrift.
105.
juliendsv Oct 23, 2009
Georgia of course!
106.
davedawson Oct 23, 2009
Lame answer, but Georgia. On a day to day basis, I use it way too much. I may have become dependent on it. The first step is admitting that I have a problem, now I just have to do something about it!
107.
hillscomma Oct 23, 2009
Georgia on my mind.
108.
Steveguberman Oct 23, 2009
A few… Primary client uses Helvetica Neue as house font, we use Franklin Gothic as primary house fount, and new brand we’re developing uses Avenir
109.
danethurber Oct 23, 2009
Helvetica and Bodoni – that’s right I picked two
110.
Zack Grossbart Oct 23, 2009
Has to be Scala Pro.
111.
michaeljacklawlor Oct 23, 2009
Futura in my logo.
112.
Dominik Porada Oct 23, 2009
Arial, definitely.
113.
christianross Oct 23, 2009
Lucida Grande, because I’m essentially nothing more than a fanboy.
114.
aaronbell Oct 23, 2009
I’ve been trying to avoid using the same typeface over and over, but I’ve always gotten good mileage out of FF Meta.
115.
Victor Vásquez Oct 23, 2009
As much as I’d like to say something different, it’s Helvetica, hands down.
116.
ikhoor Oct 23, 2009
H & FJ Knockout
117.
descartable Oct 23, 2009
Lucida Grande all the way!
118.
Aegir Hallmundur Oct 23, 2009
Myriad Pro, for various reasons, but mainly because it’s what I use in wireframes.
119.
orangetiki Oct 23, 2009
I normally would say Helvetica for design, but I am going to go with Myraid Pro. Because not every computer has Helvetica and sometimes you just need a font for copy that any every other computer on the planet has. And no Arial is NOT an option for this.
120.
Andy Field Oct 23, 2009
Any of Jeremy Tankard’s The Shire Types. Type with humour and some great shapes
121.
roborn Oct 23, 2009
Trade Gothic :)
122.
dylanpine Oct 23, 2009
Helvetica. Not very original, I know, but that’s really what I think :D
123.
rocketspops Oct 23, 2009
I have to say Futura…it stirs something in my soul.
124.
aaron mentele Oct 23, 2009
Georgia. \o
125.
jasonrobb Oct 23, 2009
Helv…yea right. (Ignore the avatar.)
Couldn’t live without… Jason Robb Script. But, since that’s not a font yet, I’ll have to say Lucida Grande.
126.
mrsharon Oct 23, 2009
Hobo Medium Standard. How else would I know what not to do?
127.
Alan Houser Oct 23, 2009
Clarendon. Been falling in-love lately.
128.
GregD Oct 23, 2009
Centaur. Specifically the hot metal version. Now if I only had a letterpress to use it when I need it.
129.
jasonrhodes Oct 23, 2009
Currently can’t stop using Helvetica Neue Bold Condensed. Would depend on what week it was for me, though.
130.
elliott.rounsavall@gmail.com Oct 23, 2009
easy. helvetica neue.
131.
Geert De Deckere Oct 23, 2009
Chaparral Pro
132.
chrissimari Oct 23, 2009
Akzidenz Grotesk
133.
Forrest Vess Oct 23, 2009
That’s tough.
It’s a toss up between Helvetica Neue and Trade Gothic for me.
134.
jimdoran Oct 23, 2009
Helvetica.Helvetica.Helvetica.Helvetica.Helvetica.
135.
fusaka Oct 23, 2009
Helvetica Neue Black
136.
Jayhollywood Oct 23, 2009
My current font of choice is FF Meta.
137.
biscuitrat Oct 23, 2009
Archer for aesthetics, Verdana for regular texts, but Book Antiqua for ALL of my essays and writing (yay college!) — I just love how it looks on paper!
So let’s say Book Antiqua. I write a lot of essays :P
138.
gmiddleb Oct 23, 2009
Trade Gothic is my workhorse of choice.
139.
Arubis Oct 23, 2009
Comic Sans.
No, wait! Let me make my case.
Without Comic Sans, I couldn’t help others understand that some fonts are evil and should be punished. Understanding its sheer awfulness is the gateway to giving a damn.
140.
whiggins Oct 23, 2009
Golly, gotta go with Goudy.
141.
AmpDaily Oct 23, 2009
Georgia, because everyone has it ;)
142.
pezpengelly Oct 23, 2009
Gotham. So impressive.
143.
josue salazar Oct 23, 2009
Times. New. Roman.
Who’s with me?.
144.
jayquercia Oct 23, 2009
hoefler text. i love you so <3
145.
iamdanmckinley Oct 23, 2009
New Century Schoolbook. It takes much self-control for me not to use it for everything.
146.
datype Oct 23, 2009
For print: Univers
For web: Georgia
147.
Stormink Oct 23, 2009
DIN 1451 Std.
148.
collinkelly Oct 23, 2009
Serif: Can’t live without Hoefler Text.
Sans: Can’t live without Trade Gothic.
Web: Agreed! Georgia FTW.
149.
paulm Oct 23, 2009
Gotham, especially condensed.
150.
djstarrman Oct 23, 2009
Anonymous Pro. Too much coding for me, so I’m picking a monospaced font.
151.
tomlewek Oct 23, 2009
Helvetica Neue Thin
152.
aulku Oct 23, 2009
Avenir.
someone should infograph all these results
153.
Chris Oct 23, 2009
Adobe Garamond
154.
sporter Oct 23, 2009
Helvetica Neue with Gotham nipping at her heels.
House Industries Sign Painter Collection for fun projects.
155.
Conor Oct 23, 2009
Georgia.
156.
tonyxprice Oct 23, 2009
Good grief, this is difficult. It’s so much easier to say which ones you can go without.
I would have to say Univers.
157.
jantzie Oct 23, 2009
Futura is my homeboy. :)
158.
jolek Oct 23, 2009
requiem from hoefler & frere-jones
159.
alice Oct 23, 2009
I gotta go with Helvetica.
160.
jwtdesign Oct 23, 2009
Trade Gothic all the way!
161.
rkopel Oct 23, 2009
helvetica neue
162.
thebestsophist Oct 23, 2009
Garamond.
163.
designfrontier Oct 23, 2009
I am on an Adobe Caslon Pro kick at the moment…
164.
Eric MacLeod Oct 23, 2009
TNR
165.
aodea Oct 23, 2009
I’d have to say, since we’re talking “never” here:
Helvetica Neue 55 Roman.
166.
Tim Brown Oct 23, 2009
Goudy Swash has overtaken me like a weed. It’s in everything.
Whoop—except Typedia. (Clackity…)
167.
chuckmallott Oct 23, 2009
Not my favorite font, but the one I couldn’t live without is Helvetica.
168.
Limedaring Oct 23, 2009
Helvetica Neue!
169.
dstringham Oct 23, 2009
Gotta be Helvetica Neue. ‘Cos a typeface I’m not going to live without has got to have different weights. And be Helvetica.
170.
Alec Oct 23, 2009
Minion!
171.
cbumg Oct 23, 2009
Gill Sans.
172.
reed Oct 23, 2009
Tarzana, I guess – even with its over-exuberant ‘k’ – its lovely italic is the salt that flavors my favorite work.
173.
Anastasia Miller Oct 23, 2009
For print, it entirely depends on the piece, but: I do love slab serif faces in general, and have a soft spot for H&FJ;‘s Archer.
For Web, I guess Georgia and Trebuchet. Can’t wait for more options there, even so, since I’ve seen so much of the MS 1996 set…
174.
Gonzalo González Mora Oct 23, 2009
Working on the web, Georgia is the one :)
175.
Ryan Parsley Oct 23, 2009
As a web guy, I have to go with Georgia. Although, Rockwell is showing up more and more on the top of my heading font stacks.
176.
Scott Orchard Oct 23, 2009
I know everyone before me has said the same thing, but I’d have to say Helvetica.
177.
debajit Oct 23, 2009
Why, Minion Pro of course. (Futura second)
178.
Jesse Vlasveld Oct 23, 2009
Definitely Georgia.
179.
bokster Oct 23, 2009
Helvetica Family
180.
blake Oct 23, 2009
Helvetica family also.
181.
ffub Oct 23, 2009
FF DIN
182.
Stephanieaaron Oct 23, 2009
Bodoni, not because iI use it so much these days, but because it makes the world a more beautiful place.
183.
davidchat Oct 23, 2009
It would have to be a serif font for me … Times New Roman.
184.
Shane Guymon Oct 23, 2009
Myriad Pro…. but Neutraface is quickly taking it’s place.
185.
juliak Oct 23, 2009
hooray for helvetica!
186.
danielburgess Oct 23, 2009
Arial. At least until the web lets me choose otherwise… ;)
187.
Ben Crowder Oct 23, 2009
Only one? Minion Pro.
188.
ackernaut Oct 23, 2009
For web, Verdana, web-safe FTW!