Focusing on independent typography, episodes of the Interrogang highlight new and exciting developments in type design and include lively discussions, games, and interviews in the world of type, design, and artistic expression. Co-hosted by Joshua Dick and Kyle Read.
Would you snap your fingers and make 50% of all fonts disappear‽ Will Josh or Kyle put on the gauntlet, or will they send in the Avengers to save the fonts? Support the Interrogang and help us expand what Proof&Co. and the Interrogang have to offer! Subscribe to the Weekly Newsletter or The Concierge Newsletter for all the independent type news that's fit to email! Support the show...
What does it mean to pursue perfection in type design‽ It's summer so maybe we should just hit the pool, but we decided to tackle some big type topics first. There are designers out there working to make the perfect font right now, and maybe Jony Ive's LoveFrom Serif found it, but is it worth the time and energy? The guys think through nobility and ego and legacy and motivation and Dr. Seuss tubas and ultimately find it is akin to a quest for the Holy Grail of fonts: an epic journey th...
Can you tell the difference between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence‽ Special guest Lindsey Laseter joins the guys this week in Part 3 of our AI series to share her perspective on what AI means to the design world. She leaves the guys actually feeling all warm and fuzzy about it. Then Josh throws font descriptions at Lindsey and Kyle and they have to guess if a human wrote it or if ChatGPT wrote it. It was...surprisingly difficult and left Kyle thoroughly embarrassed. AI might be w...
How can we keep up with all these new fonts‽ Well, we cram three weeks of our favorites into one episode, that's how! The guys discuss Commercial Type's Terza at Editor speed, the delightful refinement of Glazier from Positype, and the out-of-this-world influences of Production Type's Paramount . There is also plenty about whether NaN needed the aid of elves to complete the unconventional NaN Metrify superfamily, how Brutalist Aerospace seems like a fascinating oxymoron with the A...
Does it matter where your inspiration comes from‽ We love hearing about where great design ideas come from, but the guys find that your personal design journey can be just as fun when you just do it your way and don't feel obligated to explain your creative decisions. That said, type designers can find inspiration in just about anything, which explains their love of time traveling fonts, creating "a better Plantin", and manhole covers. So sneeze into a napkin and see what font com...
How much is Apple dictating the future of typography‽ Whether it's more 3D type, worrying about your font's weight, or making sure there is always a variable option, there could be big changes coming to the type world. Or not. We're not quite sure what the future holds, but at least there are exciting font newsletters to fill our time with... Proof&Co. releases highlighted in this episode: The Concierge Newsletter Support the Interrogang , if you are able, and help us expand w...
Why is it so hard to book Etaoin Shrdlu‽ Well, we got Doug Wilson instead, who joins the podcast this week to tell us all about his upcoming Linotype Book Project, documenting the history of the famous typesetting machine and its outsized impact on printing, journalism, and society. You can subscribe to this fantastic project at https://linotypebook.com . We know you’ll want to, we don’t even need to use a Jedi mind trick, move along, move along… Font releases highlighted in this episode: Solfa ...
How sinful can a font even be‽ This episode smells a bit of sulfur as the guys dream up designs for fonts named after the Seven Deadly Sins. This "tour-de-sins" overcomes its slothfulness to bring us drippy descenders, smoky serpents, and fonts that look like Spider-Man villains. Kyle might be the least wrathful person you'll ever meet and Josh's biggest sin turns out to be using the word "chonky" too much. And we didn't even get to original sin... Font release...
What are the most "flawless" typefaces out there‽ Well, it's subjective, but type nerd Kyle shares his list for the can't-go-wrong, no-notes independent fonts out there. The guys also dig deep into whether new tech in type constitutes cheating in your design process, or maybe it's just progress, hard to say. And you'll have to listen to hear who Kyle refers to as the "Monstars" of the type world, our first (of hopefully many) ever reference to Space Jam......
What does a font go through to become a "mutant"‽ This is the question inspired by Signal Type Foundry's release of Reckham this week, and that's not all! We also discuss the affordability of Kimura Sans from Plau Design, Nova Type Foundry's "whipped-cream dollopy" Baga , why Octavia from Flavia Zimbardi and Tida Tep is the Ethel Merman of fonts, and how the liscensing news about The Freight Collection is big in more ways than one. But still, it doesn't lo...
How can type design benefit from advancements in AI‽ Kyle's here to tell you how, and whether it's doing the kerning for you, writing your specimen copy, or inspiring new genre mash-ups, Artificial Intelligence might just lead you to the best unpaid intern you've ever had. Then the guys do some soul-searching and identify their "glyph essence". Kyle needs to say "no" more often while Josh has more to say but doesn't want to be a bother... Signed, № & *...
How big of a threat is the oncoming AI revolution to type design‽ Well, type nerds, it's hard to say. Josh and Kyle assess the threat level that Artificial Intelligence poses to type designers and find that they're actually less worried about it than everyone else seems to be. Kyle is downright positive about its inspirational impact (surprise, surprise) and Josh thinks cheerleaders are better suited for giving you letters than AI currently is. This episode also includes strong, aggres...
Some fonts are more than what they seem, aren't they‽ This week, Kyle takes us on a journey through some recent font releases that may seem unassuming at first, but require a double take, like R Typography's Picaresk , a blocky grot that walks the line between a 19th-century Egyptian look and a 1930s Great Gatsby feel. Or the once in-house Onsite from Sociotype, a font so beloved by the foundry that they decided to share it with the world. Or Pizza Typefaces' Hop , which could be ...
Ready to play along with some Type Jeopardy‽ Josh and Kyle each play host and contestant in this round, with clues coming from three type-themed categories: Take Me Out to the Ballgame, Catch Me 'Ser'if You Can, and Shared Names. Josh thinks there are such things as "Yielding Serifs" and Kyle has gone insane listening to the Jeopardy theme all week, just to win fake money. It all ends with Tech-Master Andrew trying to stump the guys with video game font trivia. There's m...
Care to join us on a typographic journey through time‽ The past week's type releases give us a chance to do just that with Ohno Type Co's art-deco inspired (and perhaps worrisomely named) Regrets ; the updated, expanded, and neato Netto from TypeMates; a modernist take on the historical Clarendon with Studio Rene Bieder's Stakkat ; and a retro, baseball-inspired Tuscan serif with Dinger from Dingbat Co. Is all this time travel even possible? Well, we and Letteror can Neither Confi...
What’s wrong with selling your font as one that can do it all‽ The guys worry that you can oversell the usefulness of your fonts, and thus hurt your actual sales. Can a font fulfill the dream of being "one-size-fits-all" for your needs or does that just make it boring, and perhaps, a liar? Josh also rants about how overused the word "workhorse" has become and Kyle calls for an end to its use. Oh, and the new fonts this week give us some beefy Light weights, erect font posture...
Did the Big Apple make a big mistake‽ Josh and Kyle are in a New York state of mind this week when they review the new "We Heart NYC" campaign. New York City had the chance to make it here, but instead chose to make it anywhere, and the guys are not impressed. Kyle suggests some New York-based type designers and foundries who could have given the rebrand a better local flair and Josh pitches a typography-based Seinfeld episode. Guess this is what happens when you are a city that never ...
Who gave Times New Roman all this power‽ Joshua "The Scorpion" Dick and Kyle "Victory Hands" Read review the contentious switch from Times New Roman to Calibri made by the US State Department this year and worry about how little control we actually have about which fonts become all-powerful. Times New Roman may be on its way out, but there are some TNR diehards out there still praying to Our Lady of Serifs. The guys also talk well-designed emojis and come across some heretofo...
Where does inspiration come from when designing a font‽ There were plenty of answers to that question from this past week, from Beast of England's Acorn reminiscing about Acorn Computers to Clothilde Bouan's Niki , which delightfully reflects artist Niki de Saint-Phalle's extensive repertoire, to DS Type's Prelo Pro taking a cue from...its own Prelo family DNA. We also find that it is a Bold Decision to name your font True Serif and that Lexia from Dalton Maag could have adde...
Is who you know more important than what you know‽ Josh and Kyle cut through the social foofah to put the phrase "It's not what you know, it's who you know" in its place, all while trying to convince you they aren't lonely hermits. There are also two months of type releases to review, and we realize how Ohno Type Co.'s name may hint at our impending doom. It's a lot to handle, but we've got big, jazzy, three-dimensional dreams for 2023... What's next?...
Are emojis typography‽ The debate rages on (or rather, rages from a year and a half ago) in this Rewind episode. Click here to get your 2022 Annual Report and Almanac , our data-driven look at the world of independent typography in 2022! Click here to subscribe to the Weekly Newsletter to get all the latest type news and notes from your friends at Proof&Co! Please take a moment to rate and review us on your podcasting site of choice and if you like what you hear, tell your friends and family...
Do we have to be good salespeople to be good designers‽ This Rewind explores the trials and tribulations of having to talk a big game while still being effective designers. Can good work just speak for itself? Click here to get your 2022 Annual Report and Almanac , our data-driven look at the world of independent typography in 2022! Click here to subscribe to the Weekly Newsletter to get all the latest type news and notes from your friends at Proof&Co! Please take a moment to rate and review...
What could possibly make a typeface lawful, chaotic, or just downright evil‽ We assign fonts to the nine role-playing game character archetypes in this Rewind episode from Season 1. Click here to subscribe to the Weekly Newsletter to get all the latest type news and notes from your friends at Proof&Co! Please take a moment to rate and review us on your podcasting site of choice and if you like what you hear, tell your friends and family they should listen too! Support the show...
How will you look back on 2022‽ It's been a bonkers year, but from the best font names to the best single-style release to what new fonts blew minds into the stratosphere, Josh and Kyle have some awards to hand out for the year that was in type. After glasses are raised to toast the winners, the guys reflect on 2022 and look forward to 2023. Kyle makes up his own rules and wants to get weird with micro fonts, while Josh makes up the word "smarketing" and is optimistic about the fu...
Is Santa ready to deliver all the type gifts this year‽ The independent type world has him covered if not! Joshua Claus and Little Drummer Boy Kyle put their Santa Pants on and review the 2022 Proof&Co Gift Guide for all your gift-giving needs in this holiday episode. Also, the guys get excited for x-height, we learn Kyle likes to sniff his presents, and Josh has Clement Moore rolling in his grave with a new rendition of “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”. And yes, there is some caroling. Th...
Can good design be made by committee‽ Collaboration and constructive criticism are supposed to make our creations better, but that can get out of hand when experts aren’t allowed to be experts. Josh and Kyle share their thoughts on design camels, Blackletter-ish miscues, and the oft forgotten capital “Q”. And if we could just give you, the listener, a quick little constructive note…you're doing great... Font releases highlighted in this episode: Austerlitz from Typofonderie Publico Collecti...
What are you bringing to Typography Thanksgiving‽ Josh and Kyle set the podcasting table, loosen their belts, and bring you the most belly-filling spread of fonts you could possibly imagine. It's a time to be thankful, especially for happy looking "e"s, free swag bags, and for the fact that your hosts kept their pants on. Just don't give Josh any more hats, he's got plenty of hats... Font releases highlighted in this episode: Seamus from 205TF Zeplin from Manic Type on F...
How many type designers does it take to screw in a font‽ More than one, as it usually turns out, and Josh and Kyle are here to celebrate that there is no "I" in "typography team" (though there should be one in every typeface). Like drones in the sky coming together to form a letter, we all come together to make good type. But Josh worries that there is a foundational lack of understanding from the general public about what a font foundry actually is (or that they even exist)....
How many glyphs is too many glyphs‽ Stylistic alternates, contextual ligatures, icons, dingbats, and borders, oh my! So much to design, so little time. But is adding to your glyph count always worth it? The guys explore the idea of the "imposition of choice", what it means to designers and buyers when you give people too many options with a font. Their discussions also take us back in time to the year 2000, a time that might be influencing your typography today. We survived Y2K then, w...
Where do all our best deleted scenes go‽ Why, our autumnal bonus episode of course, in which an unevenly designed blackletter precedes an uncertain future, mathematically-inclined fonts cause unintended trauma, font descriptions get automated (and more than a little worrisome), and overachieving designs annoy and delight simultaneously. With all this to talk about, typography's future seems promising! But... Subscribe to the Weekly Newsletter at proofco.xyz to get all the latest type news a...
