Monday, January 8, 2007

LettError RandomFonts in OpenType format



LettError classics Beowolf and BeoSans are getting ready for OpenType. The sources have been delivered to FSI FontShop International for mastering, and it's just a matter of time. Note: these fonts are not truely random as their type-3 PostScript forebears were. I know this is a conceptual dissappointment for some, but we've got to work with what we got. OpenType just does not allow us to move points around willy nilly and the rand feature is not supported anywhere. But OpenType does however, allow us to switch alternates around. Just van Rossum built a special production system which generates the random alternates, the substitution rules and the kern features. I only had to finish a couple of glyphs and pick the final nits. The Beo's contain 10 variations for each glyph and enough substitution glue to make your head spin. Over 85,000 glyphs total, a 10 hour production cycle. The good thing is the RandomFont esthetic can now be seen on screen. In color if you like. I can't believe it's not random!

2 comments:

LettError said...

Is this cool or what.

Unknown said...

Yes, c'est super cool!