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any specific ones that you keep coming back to? What about good combinations for main and secondary copy? I either get stuck using my latest favorite for several weeks or go crazy trying to use all the neat stuff I've just bought/discovered etc! so in the interest of learning from the masters I just thought I'd ask you.... Karen
-------------------- Karen Stanley Signs & Wonders Amherst, VA Posts: 136 | From: Amherst, VA | Registered: Jan 2007
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Actually, I use Eras, Helvetica and Futura for lots of body text and have a list of decorative letter styles that I continually draw from, like Baker Signet, Caslon Black, and a whole bunch Letterhead Font types that I consider just about the best around.
Buying fonts is a lot like eating peanuts - you just can never get enough.
-------------------- Chapman Sign Studio Temple, Texas chapmanstudio@sbcglobal.net Posts: 6306 | From: Temple, Texas, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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For simple informational signs that have to be read quickly, I like the Futura family--lots of different weights to use in prioritizing copy.
Garamond, as Jon mentioned, can stand distortions fairly well.
For identification of an apartment complex (our main market), any of a number of Letterhead Font styles that evoke the mood of the name. Like Raymond, I'm a member of Fontaholics Anonymous and I keep falling off the wagon.
-------------------- David Harding A Sign of Excellence Carrollton, TX Posts: 5084 | From: Carrollton, TX, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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How about Helvitica Extra Plain? Actually there are some nuances in Helvetica where the stroke tapers and I can really appreciate that font. It has always been the hardest one for me to letter in U/LC, because if it isn't exactly right it looks funky. My Favs are , Eras, Futura,Crillee, Jester, and Avante Garde where I swap-out the O(oh) with the 0(zero) because I like my O's perfectly round. Merry hill isn't bad after a little tweakin', Tiffany Bold and Broadway when using Gold along with Balmoral or Commercial Script. I like alot of them,....but I dislike many as well. It's really hard for me to say any one font of 26 charadters/numbers that I like "All the way Through".
-------------------- Rich Stebbing RichSigns Rohnert Park CA 707-795-5588 Posts: 755 | From: Rohnert Park, CA | Registered: Nov 1998
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As a font guy, I could shamelessly plug my own stuff on this post. Instead, I'll describe the stuff we use most in our shop by comparing it to the old standbys.
1. anything narrow block (think compacta) 2. anything fat and heavy block (think gil sans) 3. Anything casual yet on the heavy side (think dom casual fattened up) 4. Any bold script that looks like brush script. thin scripts are not that popular around here. 5. Garamond BOLD BOLD BOLD 6. and when all else fails: roman and helvetica--I don't think they will ever be replaced.
for me these fonts never fail to sell the job
-------------------- Michael Gene Adkins The Fontry 1576 S Hwy 59 Watts OK 74964 Posts: 845 | From: Watts, OK USA | Registered: Jun 1999
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Good reply, Mr Fontry! Karen, I'll put a plug in for Michael's font collections. On average, I really like A&S Signfonts stuff, but have a few DNA & LHF fonts which serve their purposes very well.
The most useful bold casual font I think is Buzz from DNA.
Lately I've had mostly customers giving me stuff to duplicate, so choice of fonts was not mine, I just had to match existing things.
Garamond is very useful. I used to use BT Arrus a lot, once. It's nice with a blended block shade.
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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you had to make me look up that BUZZ font, didn't ya-!!!
A casual like that would go fairly well around here. Lots of variation and very open. Most of the uppercase looks pretty good. One or two characters completely mess with me, but those kind of casuals are very popular where I'm at.
I wonder if what customers like on their signs is almost regional?
-------------------- Michael Gene Adkins The Fontry 1576 S Hwy 59 Watts OK 74964 Posts: 845 | From: Watts, OK USA | Registered: Jun 1999
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I like Russ McMullin's fonts. He should really start marketing them.
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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I would have to say anything Arthur Vanson has on the market. He is an amazing Sign Writer!
-------------------- Charles Borges de Oliveira Borges Lettering & Design Snohomish WA Posts: 352 | From: Snohomish WA | Registered: Mar 2003
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I have The Fontry's entire collection. I also have some of Arthur's, Charles', and Rob Leuschke's fonts. They get used often. I'm waiting for Russ to hit the market somewhere with his. I also had a bunch of Sign DNA's fonts but I lost them in a crash and I cannot find the disk they came on. They have some very nice scripts.
-------------------- David Harding A Sign of Excellence Carrollton, TX Posts: 5084 | From: Carrollton, TX, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Michael, you're right, some of the characters are not as good as I'd like, and the numbers seem to have a different height from the caps, but I find it a great quick easy brushable font for quick banners needing annual date changes etc.
Another attribute is that it's coded with a number 1 in its name (rather than F), so it moves to the top of the font list by default, and seems to be easy to find all the time!
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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-------------------- Michael Gene Adkins The Fontry 1576 S Hwy 59 Watts OK 74964 Posts: 845 | From: Watts, OK USA | Registered: Jun 1999
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Anything that Ray Larabie puts out. I have about 9,000 fonts so I haven't bought any of the Letterheads fonts. Heck, I haven't even installed the free ones yet! I've seen Arthurs and they are absolutely cherry. I haven't seen Michaels or the others. It's fairly simple for me to use existing fonts and modify them for what I want so that's what I do most of the time. As far as workhorses goes, Compacta is probably the first choice. I like distinctively massive stroked fonts for display, very formal Romans, casuals with a lot of character, and script that fits the situation.
-------------------- Ricky Jackson Signs Now 614 Russell Parkway Warner Robins, GA (478) 923-7722 signpimp50@hotmail.com
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Issac Newton Posts: 3528 | From: Warner Robins, GA | Registered: Oct 2004
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Anything by Arthur Vanson (I can't pick a fave but it's probably Chesham Sans) or Chuck Borges (Bounce). Valentino from Signfonts.com and a slew of others there, like Jiggy Roman. The CrazyJack and Behounek fonts on Sign DNA, and the Mike Stevens ones, especially Arroyo and Big Red. The Atkinsons and Beckers from The Fontry. Some of the LHFs, like Squeezebox from Dave Parr, Gary Godby's, Dave Smith's, Duncan's Garner, most of Chuck Davis' stuff. Most of P22's fonts, they are on my list. And most of the House Industries collections, but I can't afford them. I also like Larabie's alphabets. Now for the ones I despise... Brush Script Black Chancery Mistral Algerian Comic Sans Serpentine Banco Getting real sick of 3D fonts too. Love....Jill
Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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I'm with Rich Stebbing, I hate the Avant Garde "zero", and always replace it with an "O".
One of my favorites is Frutiger for body text. I hate times roman. For signs I use the Mike Stevens (DNA) fonts whenever I can. For sign work I typically buy display fonts versus text fonts. They just look better when enlarged.
-------------------- Curt Stenz Graphics 700 Squirrel Lane Marathon, WI 54448 Posts: 590 | From: Marathon, WI 54448 | Registered: Dec 1998
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my take on avant garde is about like everyone elses: nice font when you first look at it, but despite its simplicity there are some annoying quirks: The UC R being open doesn't work for me, the UC S is almost too narrow and a bit weak, and the UC G always looks too big for its own good.
tHE zero never really bothered me, but I can see what everyone is saying.
-------------------- Michael Gene Adkins The Fontry 1576 S Hwy 59 Watts OK 74964 Posts: 845 | From: Watts, OK USA | Registered: Jun 1999
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Most of my customers lately are looking for an "old style look" to their signage. Many Letterhead Fonts fit the bill nicely. Boston Truckstyle, Sarah Script and Cincinnati Poster have been popular this summer. Univeristy Roman and Times Roman still find their way in as well.
The race car guys want bold and big. Serpentine Bold, Microgramma, and lots of the Sign DNA fonts, Big Red, O'Daily, Raceway, etc. get used a lot here.
I don't approach designs with a specific font in mind. Some wording just doesn't look good in some styles due to kerning, pesky descenders and occasional overdone flair. I tend to fit the font to the "feel" the customer wants to get, then design everything else around that.
Rapid
-------------------- Ray Rheaume Rapidfire Design 543 Brushwood Road North Haverhill, NH 03774 rapidfiredesign@hotmail.com 603-787-6803
I like my paint shaken, not stirred. Posts: 5648 | From: North Haverhill, New Hampshire | Registered: Apr 2003
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If you want to "study" the proportions of classic roman letters, the basis for all letter design, try comparing Palatino and Optima. Yum.
-------------------- Bill'n'Annie Davidson Heathcote, NSW, Aus. my Aussie wife, a Toohey's Old, my Holden Ute, Retired from the rat race! Posts: 309 | From: Heathcote, NSW, Australia | Registered: Nov 1998
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