Type resources for designers and brand owners

Featured article.

Putting AI to work: The magic of typeface pairing.

Have you ever cooked a meal at home and been delighted to find the perfect ingredient to complement your recipe? Maybe you forgot you had cilantro, crushed peanuts, or lemon juice, and it’s just the thing you needed to elevate your dish.

What’s new.

Monotype’s company desktop license empowers cloud access to brand fonts.

Long gone are the days of zipping up folders of font files and sharing them across your organization, or even messier, embedding fonts in documents in the cloud in hopes that the design remains intact. We recently announced an expanded set of licensing rights which allows all employees within an organization to access Commercial Production Fonts in their desktop environments. 

Creative Characters S2 E8: Andrew Krivine and Michael Worthington.

This week we’re welcoming Andrew Krivine, author and punk rock collector, alongside Michael Worthington, faculty at CalArts and co-founder of Counterspace. The creative duo is here to tell the tale of how they co-created the largest exhibition of punk and new wave graphics ever shown on the West Coast.   

Monotype x Limerick.

Over the past four years, we’ve been lucky to forge a reciprocal partnership with the Limerick School of Art & Design / TUS in Ireland. Both Creative Type Directors Tom Foley and Emilios Theofanous have now participated in workshops and modules at the leading fine art, design and creative media school. This year’s students were asked to write a message platform for one typeface and build a marketing plan and design assets to promote it in digital or print media.  

Font resources for brands.

8 Common mistakes to avoid when choosing brand fonts.

When you’re a designer, it’s thrilling to create a new brand or update an existing one. You get to be creative! Strategic! You get a chance to make your mark!

In addition to deciding on a color palette and imagery style, you get to choose foundational typefaces for your brand. But font selection should not be based on looks alone.

How an increased focus on digital transformation has changed customer branding expectations.

Today’s designers are faced with a multitude of new challenges when it comes to designing for a digital world. Customers expect constant communication, have short attention spans, and expect brands to keep up with emerging technology. Learn about the branding challenges to advance your digital strategy and forge ahead.

What creative leaders need to consider in a brand refresh.

You’re at your desk reviewing your emails, and getting ready to kickstart a new design project tomorrow. You’ve read over the project brief, and you have a team call coming up to go over the project guidelines. It’s an exciting challenge, but you’re not sure where to begin.
 

Get inspired.

Creative Characters S3 E3: Getting into the ‘heavy stuff’ with Aaron James Draplin.

We are thrilled to have Aaron Draplin on the podcast this week and to dig into the “heavy stuff” with him – existential musings on life and building a career, the importance of hanging on to your inner kid, and the “weird little spot” he’s in as he approaches 50 turns around the sun.

7 Typographic rebrands that worked wonders.

Today’s brands must keep up with a fast-paced digital world and navigate a “new normal” that’s still emerging from the worst of the pandemic. The last few years shifted everyone’s digital expectations, how brands operate, and in some cases, impacted their business models. Moreover, issues like biodiversity, sustainability, diversity and equity, and brand activism are all booming. So how does this all impact brand building? These macro shifts are greatly influencing how companies position themselves, the services they offer, and how they communicate with their customers.

Font expertise from the Monotype Studio.

Typography terms and definitions.

From alternates to X-height, this list of typography terms and definitions covers just about everything you’d want to know about fonts and typography.

What are font superfamilies and why do we need them?

Font superfamilies are vast collections of type that can meet a multitude of needs without compromising on consistency. But what defines a superfamily, exactly?

What’s in a letterform?

A letter is more than the sum of its parts, but sometimes it helps to know what those parts are called. And it may not surprise you to learn that in a field as meticulous as typography, every little piece of a letter has a name.

All resources.

Creative Characters S3 E16: What our emotions can teach us about design and branding.

This week, we dive into Monotype’s scientific research on the emotional power of typography. Marie Boulanger, Senior Brand Designer at Monotype, joins as a guest and shares some of the thinking, methodology, and insights behind the global studies. Tune in for more.

Celebrating community and creativity at Brand Talks Chicago.

We recently had the fortune of hosting our first-ever Brand Talks in Chicago. Read on as we recap some of the highlights from this wonderful event.

Creative Characters S3 E15: Talking shop with David Berlow, type hero and font technology pioneer.

David Berlow has been at the forefront of type design, publishing, and technology for 45 years. In this week’s episode Tom Rickner, the Senior Director of the Studio at Monotype, sits down with Berlow. Tune in to hear the two reminisce, talk shop, and explore Berlow’s influences, predictions, and perspectives on mentorship and team building.  

Letters of likeness. A custom typeface for the National Portrait Gallery.

In early autumn of 2022, EDIT invited Monotype to partner on one of London’s most anticipated rebrands, the refurbished National Portrait Gallery which is home to some of the world’s most iconic and progressive portraits. Read on for the full customer story. 

Creative Characters S3 E14: From Basquiat to branding: how Erwin Hines creates space for community, dialogue, and collective liberation.

Erwin Hines designs and produces intentionally crafted garments and hosts in-person events at Future is Color’s mixed-use studio in San Diego, California, focused on the mission of building accessible space for intentional conversation around collective liberation. Listen to his podcast episode for more.

Creative Characters S3 E13: Chasing dreams and making them real with muralist Kent Yoshimura.

Throughout his life, Kent has illustrated for children’s books, recorded music for film and television, made a couple of documentaries, designed immersive experiences, built a thriving business, painted numerous beautiful murals, and so much more. Listen to his podcat episode for more.

Creative Characters S3 E12: From magazine to brand design with Warby Parker's Sarah Olin.

As Art Director at Warby Parker, Sarah Olin works on everything from retail design to TV commercials to fashion campaigns. Her story is one of adaptability, and with the design landscape rapidly changing, it feels fitting for the moment. Listen to her podcast episode for more.

Five takeaways from Brand Talks San Francisco.

Last week, Monotype descended on San Francisco for our first in-person Brand Talks event in the golden city since 2019, read on for our thoughts following the event.