@HEX@typo.social

· 11mo ago

HEX launched 7 years ago tonight, on Halloween 2018.

To celebrate, I’m releasing a preliminary version of an experimental typeface I started even before that …

Shop Sans is a typeface for setting text on circles and curved baselines. Its ‘Curve’ variable font allows for bending type smoothly along arched paths, with adjustable curvature.

The initial version 0.1 is now available from @futurefonts@typo.social, with more updates and improvements coming soon:
https://www.futurefonts.com/hex/shop-sans

futurefonts.com

175

13

74

0

HEX Projects @HEX@typo.social

· 10mo ago

Issue #2 of HEX News just went out, featuring the new Shop Sans typeface for setting text on curves, previews of other fonts in progress, font uses, miscellaneous personal recommendations, and more.

You can read the web version here:
https://hex.xyz/news/2/

Subscribe to get infrequent new issues in your email inbox or RSS reader:
https://hex.xyz/news/

HEX News #2: Initial release of Shop Sans & more

hex.xyz

HEX News #2: Initial release of Shop Sans & more

An occasional newsletter on fonts, web experiments, and work in progress from HEX Projects.

38

1

13

0

HEX Projects @HEX@typo.social

· 16mo ago

Replying to

Designer: Spends $60 to use my fonts in a publication they’re making. Me: Spends $80 to buy a copy of that publication.

41

4

0

HEX Projects @HEX@typo.social

· 8mo ago

Replying to

As noted in the disclaimers on that demo page, the curved baseline effect relies on some CSS functions that some browsers don’t support yet. In those browsers you will see the glyphs flex and wiggle when hovering, but without the baseline curving. It’s not the intended effect but it does help to understand how the variable font’s glyphs flex to match what the curvature of the baseline *would* be.

8

0

1

0

HEX Projects @HEX@typo.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

@vasilis@social.vasilis.nl This is so cool. Thanks for making fun stuff with my fonts!

3

0

HEX Projects @HEX@typo.social

· 14mo ago

If you’re in Portland, Oregon, tonight @futurefonts@typo.social and friends are hosting a @typecon@typo.social party at the Outlet studio. It’s free and open to the public.
https://www.futurefonts.com/blog/582-future-fonts-friends-typecon-party

Unfortunately I won’t be there, but I’m happy to see Diego Garibay’s design for the flyer uses my HEX Franklin fonts (https://www.futurefonts.com/hex/hex-franklin), including some funky manual adaptations.

futurefonts.com

19

2

5

0

HEX Projects @HEX@typo.social

· 15mo ago

@nazhamid@mastodon.social I’ve had Lauweriks up on the site for years, but I’m glad you found it and like it – thank you!

The wild 6 and 9 came straight from the source material, which is still hard to believe is from the early 1900s. @MathieuLommen@typo.social recently published a related article:
@MathieuLommen@typo.social

At some point I also added more tame stylistic alternates for a client who wanted the option to not always be so zany.🤪 I’ll have to add those to the samples on the HEX site soon.

typo.social

21

1

5

0

HEX Projects @HEX@typo.social

· 11mo ago

Replying to

@underware Thanks! I was doing early tests for this idea with a slab-serif design at least as early as January 2015: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nicksherman/16366442601/ The sans-serif design I just released now started some time between then and July 2016, when I made the first commits in the git repository for the project.

Flickr

Interpolatable curve type

6

0

HEX Projects @HEX@typo.social

· 22mo ago

Replying to

To further illustrate the variable kerning issue: This video shows the expected behavior for variable fonts as demonstrated in Figma, below (kerning varies with changes in design variations), and the current behavior in Affinity apps, above (the same default kerning values are applied to all design variations, resulting in not enough kerning for wide styles and too much kerning in condensed styles, causing glyphs to crash).

10

2

3

0

HEX Projects @HEX@typo.social

· 8mo ago

Replying to

@jmsole @css @kizu I kept thinking how fun it would be if each line had its own tone when plucked, like a guitar, so you could play songs with the type. Maybe that will be the next step.

1

0

HEX Projects @HEX@typo.social

· 22mo ago

Replying to

@superpixel Yes, there threads on the forum, and I’ve submitted comments there with this illustration for good measure (though still waiting for those comments to be approved).

4

0

HEX Projects @HEX@typo.social

· 22mo ago

Replying to

@simoncozens In the mean time, I get to field customer support inquiries about my fonts being broken because the kerning is all messed up. 🫠

3

0

HEX Projects @HEX@typo.social

· 22mo ago

Replying to

@Sobex Yeah, it's definitely a bug. It was reported in the forums a while ago (and I've commented with this illustration for good measure) but it’s still not resolved. Thankfully it is something that can and probably will be fixed.

3

0

HEX Projects @HEX@typo.social

· 22mo ago

Replying to

@danielgibert This thread started by @LucasFonts back in May is probably the most relevant: https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/204670-variable-fonts-kerning-broken/ I’ve commented with an illustration there for good measure. On the latest official bug list (https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/220123-26-beta-builds-bug-fix-list/) there is “Custom Variable font is using the wrong kerning value in Affinity [AF-3768]”, but I’m not sure if that is the same issue or not, and the linked bug ID just leads to an empty search results page.

forum.affinity.serif.com

2

1

0

HEX Projects @HEX@typo.social

· 22mo ago

Replying to

@barrymieny No worries! I’m glad you brought it up in the first place. There were also already some threads discussing the issue and I’ve commented on them with further explanation/illustration for good measure.

1

0