forty9

Release 49 | Summer/Autumn 2009: ff Avance Pro, ff Dagny Pro, ff Dax Compact Pro, ff Duper Pro, ff Gateway OT, ff Jackie Pro, ff Kava Pro, ff Luggagetag OT, ff Meta 3 Pro, ff Tisa Pro, ff Typestar OT, ff Typestar OCR OT, ff Unit Slab Pro

a
ff Avance

a
ff Dagny

a
ff Dax Compact

a
ff Duper

a
ff Gateway A One

a
ff Gateway a Two

a
ff Gateway B One

a
ff Gateway B Two

a
ff Jackie ff Kava

a a
ff Typestar

a
ff Luggagetag Two

a
ff Meta 3

a
ff Tisa

a
ff Typestar OCR

a
ff Unit Slab

Designed by Alexander Roth for the FontFont Typeface Library. October 2009 fsi FontShop International GmbH All rights reserved.

Forty9 Yves Peters

I sometimes get the impression (pardon the pun) that printed specimens are on the decline. With the ease and accessibility of broadband internet it seems a waste of resources to cut down trees and pump carbon dioxide into the atmosphere to produce type specimens on paper. On top of that the cost for physically sending off brochures can be prohibitive for companies that operate globally. The advantages of digital type specimens are manifold. There is no restriction on size nor page count, nor on colours or images although detailing is limited to the resolution of the computer monitor at the end user side. pdfs can be made interactive and include direct links to additional information on the web. And file size is no real issue anymore, as current fast internet connections allow for pretty hefty files to be downloaded from websites. Yet despite all this many type lovers keeps clamouring for oldskool specimens, printed with real ink on tangible paper. Personally I also belong to that category. We've mentioned it before and we'll say it again despite the ubiquity of text on the Web, most type was meant to be seen on paper. Ivo Gabrowitsch, Marketing Director of FontFont, was struggling with this dilemma, and decided to meet the world of the digital and the analogue halfway. He enlisted the design skills of Alexander Roth who had produced some great work while interning at fsi FontShop International last spring and summer, and asked him to showcase the FontFont 49 release. Forty9 can perfectly be navigated and viewed on screen, but is specifically designed to be printed, with a page size that accommodates the paper size of common printers. As it is only printed by the user, no resources are wasted. It truly is the best of both worlds.

ff Avance | 2000 Evert Bloemsma

Now available in OpenType and OT Pro

evolutionary versatility complexity for life on Earth

-
The most striking characteristic of ff Avance is the use of asymmetrical serifs in the Roman weights, something we are only used to seeing in an italic. Upper as well as lower case letters have serifs in the upper left and lower right corners, remnants as it were of the connection between hand-written letters. In Evert Bloemsmas earlier family FF Cocon these relics of handwriting were left away entirely. With Avance he had rediscovered the expressive qualities of such details which emphasize the movement and direction of reading. Bloemsmas interest in contemporary design had made it difficult for him initially to consider drawing a face with serifs. He had this to say about them: The serif has many purposes and possible origins, and it took some time before I felt ready to handle this item. The serif may carry a burden of outdated conventions, so applying serifs is risky when trying to avoid the swamp of traditions. Some aspects related to the use of serifs: Ornament/Decoration: Symmetry is found in all kinds of shapes. Often it seems to express balance, security, and certainty. This static monumentality does not really belong in our present world. Calligraphy: A serif could be seen as a remainder of the movement of the hand in writing. But is writingand especially broad-nib calligraphystill a valid inspiration? Think about how much we really write in daily life. Much text is produced using the computers keyboard. Soon, when

Random Mutation Genes

further investigation is required
speech recognition is actually feasible, the amount of handwritten text will be even less. The self-evidence with which many type designers use writing as their main inspiration is not that self-evident anymore. On the other hand it will be difficult to invent another convincing foundation. No other design discipline relies so heavily on habit and therefore on convention as type design. In the case of ff Avance a solution can be found in the design itself. A finishing touch: We sometimes seem to be afraid of an open end, just like that, plain. There is some psychological desire for a clearly delineated border between something and nothing. In the case of letterforms this would be the end of a curve or a stem. On the other hand some interesting properties of serifs which could improve the typographic appearance: A more regular word image. The eye guided along the line. The overall image of text could be more pleasant because serifs can bring more differentiation of forms, a wider spectrum of forms. An expression of dynamic movement, a stream of thoughts. Reading is moving. Serious contemporary typography should strive for transparent expression and prevent itself from building facades that disguise. Revivals of ancient masterpieces have a limited value. Their superb qualities should find new means of expression, no matter how hard it will be to capture a similar refinement.

ff Avance

a
Regular Italic

a
Bold

a s
Bold

a
Bold Italic

A
Regular Italic

z m
Italic Bold

g
Bold Italic

x
Regular

U b
Bold

t
Bold Italic

y
Regular Italic

Q n
Italic Bold

e
Bold Italic

g
Regular

K
Bold Italic

ff Dagny | 2009 rjan Nordling, Gran Sderstrm

New FontFont

random changes

all known species are descended from a common ancestor

Change in the Genetic Material

The Encoded Genetic Information

A gene pool is the complete set of alleles for a gene in a single population

Origin of Species
process of genetic recombination, sexual organisms can also exchange dna
small changes in genotype can lead to dramatic changes in phenotype

M v y
Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace
reshuffling of genes through sexual reproduction
In 2002, the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter (dn) changed from broadsheet to tabloida change that came along with a major impact on dns journalism, editing and design. Pangea designs Creative Director, rjan Nordling, had already worked with dn as a design consultant in 1996. In 2000, dn had been redesigned under the leadership of Mario Garcia. For the new design Nordling had created dn Bodoni exclusively for Dagens Nyheter. The change to tabloid called for a more compact setting and Pangea design was commissioned to produce a matching sans serif for Swedens largest daily newspaper. This became dn Grotesk which now has evolved into ff Dagny. For the FontFont Library several adjustments were made, the contrast in stroke thickness was reduced for better legibility in small sizes and characters were redesigned together with the FontFont TypeDepartment. The family now includes a range of consistent weights from Thin to Black making it perfect for use in body text and all kind of other applications. The name Dagny is an abbreviation of Dagens Nyheter as well as an old nordic female name meaning new day.

Natural Selection

ff Dagny

a
Thin

a
Thin Italic

a
Extralight

a
Extralight Italic

a
Light

a
Light Italic

a
Regular Italic

a a
Black Italic

a
Bold

a
Bold Italic Black

a h
Extralight

M
Thin

e
Thin Italic

g
Extralight Italic

c
Light

w
Light Italic

G
Regular Italic

ff Dax Compact | 2006 Hans Reichel

Now available in OpenType and OT Pro

carnivores that stalk their prey in open country

Blood Sport of Badger-Baiting

Meles, Arctonyx, Taxidea and Mellivora

EUROPeAN BADGeR

0.87"96'23:15.432
capable of fighting off much larger animals

bfm Mv

DISH OF GOULASH
FF Dax Compact is a useful extension of the FF Dax family. The main difference in comparison to the regular version is that ascenders and descenders are relatively small and the upper case letters have the same height as the lower case letters with ascenders. That makes the typeface appearing larger and more compact, although set in the same point size. The width is somewhere between FF Dax Condensed and FF Schmalhans. The FF Dax Compact is especially suitable for headlines in magazines, newspapers, for posters, flyers ... whenever a little more noise is needed.

ff Dax Compact

a
Light Regular

a a
Black Light

a
Medium Bold

a A
Regular

a
Extrabold

g w
Extrabold Black

Z
Medium Bold

e G
Regular

i c
Bold

r
Light

t
Medium

x
Extrabold Black

m
weight Regular

ff Duper | 2009 Martin Wenzel

New FontFont

an organism is any living system

MOLECULES
any living structure capable of growth and reproduction
macromolecule are nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates and lipids

ALPHA TAXONOMY
Martin Wenzels original idea from 1998 evolved into a kind of informal ff Prole in the end. The new FF Duper has a homemade touch, but provides of course all typographic qualities of a contemporary OpenType font. FF Duper consists of Regular, Bold, Regular Italic and Bold Italic weights, supports more than 60 languages, has several figure sets and fractions and includes alternative forms for a, g and y as well as a set of arrows, bullets and ornaments. And there is a special extra: All weights contain three versions of each glyph and via an OpenType feature the three alternatives are used in succession, treating vowels and consonents separately and recognizing even spaces between words for a lively and hand-made appearance of the typed text. Preliminary versions of the typeface have already been successful in education and school projects, but there are surely more areas where FF Duper perfectly fits in.

b b

{[(0123456789 | 0123456789 | 0123456789 | 0123456789)]}

ff Duper

a
Regular Italic

a
Bold

a s
Bold

a
Bold Italic

g
Regular

W
Italic

e
Bold Italic

w
Regular Italic

o
Bold

K b
Bold

n
Bold Italic

H
Regular Italic

j r
Italic Bold

g
Bold Italic

w
Regular

O
Bold Italic

ff Gateway | 1997 Stephan Mller, Cornel Windlin

Now available in OpenType

AVIATION ADMINISTRATION
fixed base operator service

AERODROME ir.trff.ctr
FAR Landing And Takeoff Field Lengths

Integer:0123456789

PNEUMATIC_GEAR
LINETO, the Swiss studio specialized in technoide minimum typography, has published FF Airport, after FF Dot Matrix and FF Screen Matrix in 1994/95. This time, Pronto and Cornel succumbed the typographical charm of LCD displays, freight waybills and boarding passes. The mixture of mobility and speed have produced primitive raster systems and brutal typographic measures: with FF Airport till the low-end of aesthetic design where Jan Tschichold and Jacques Tati say good night. FF Gateway A and B are based on the display systems at the Berlin airports Tegel and Schnefeld. Both fonts are available in two versions: one for the use in up to 24pt and one for large sizes.FF Luggage Tag-One is derived from luggage stickers. The font includes the underlying grid, thus offering additional possibilities for the user. FF Luggage Tag-Two refers to the touching retromodern boarding pass system of an airline based in the most beautiful airport of the world: Paris Charles de Gaulle.

ff Gateway

a
A One A Two

a
B One

a
B Two

a c
B Two

g
A One A Two

s
B One

G n
B One B Two

W
A One A Two

e A
A Two B One

k d
B Two

r
A One

w t
B One B Two

x
A One A Two

ff Jackie | 2009 Dario Muhafara

This underused roman/ script is now much easier to use with all its swashes, ligatures, and alts intelligently combined into a single OpenType font for each style.

BOURBON
M
Irish Annals of Clonmacnoise
Fusel oils are higher alcohols than ethanol
classied as grain neutral spirits or vodka

Alcoholic Beverage

COGNAC FLAVOUR

John Sailors
Inspired by the lettering on Jack Daniels whiskey labels, Dario Muhafara proceeded to design a font with a contemporary look between a retro design and a serious script face. The idea was to create a font that it is very well suitable for

Original Mississippi Whiskey

text in large sizes (above 16-point), but also useful in logotypes and short texts. FF Jackie comes with swash caps, alternatives glyphs, ligatures, and also a block version with an old-fashioned slip shadow effect .

ff Jackie

a
Regular Bold

a
Fill

a
Block

a g
Block Block

G
Regular Bold

e
Fill

x
Fill

t
Regular Bold

k A
Bold Fill

h W s
Block

r
Regular

f c
Block

m
Regular Bold

y
Fill

ff Luggagetag | 1997 Cornel Windlin

Now available in OpenType

ERROR/MAILFUNCTION/ERROR
Spc Trnsprttn Systm (STS)

Next Station: High Moon Orbit

LOW EARTH ORBIT

rb lh ystm

NASA Vehicle Assembly Building

SOLID_ROCKET_BOOSTERS SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS

Astronauts and Payload
LINETO, the Swiss studio specialized in technoide minimum typography, has published FF Airport, after FF Dot Matrix and FF Screen Matrix in 1994/95. This time, Pronto and Cornel succumbed the typographical charm of LCD displays, freight waybills and boarding passes. The mixture of mobility and speed have produced primitive raster systems and brutal typographic measures: with FF Airport till the low-end of aesthetic design where Jan Tschichold and Jacques Tati say good night. FF Gateway A and B are based on the display systems at the Berlin airports Tegel and Schnefeld. Both fonts are available in two versions: one for the use in up to 24 pt and one for large sizes.FF Luggage Tag-One is derived from luggage stickers. The font includes the underlying grid, thus offering additional possibilities for the user. FF Luggage Tag-Two refers to the touching retro-modern boarding pass system of an airline based in the most beautiful airport of the world: Paris Charles de Gaulle.

ff Luggagetag

a
Grid One

a
Two

a
Grid

a k
One

G
One Two

h
Grid

a W
One Two

t
Two Grid

a K
One Two

o a
Grid

a
Grid

w a
Grid One

c
One Two

>>>>>>>>>

************************ * * * * ************************

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

**** * * * * ****

ff Kava | 2009 Yanone

New FontFont

coffee arabica Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia

Several species of small evergreen bush of the genus Coffea
A beverage as black as ink, useful against numerous illnesses

associated with rebellious political activities in Europe

ff p

7.32-480:59
type design. The current ff Kava family is a carefully revised, more rounded version of the old Kaffeesatz fonts. A black weight has been added as well as small caps and more figure sets to form now an attractive modern and soft sans serif type family.

Illustration of Coffea arabica

starodust coffee usually 100150 millimeters long

ff Kava started out as a free typeface called Kaffeesatz, published by yanone in 2004 during the early stages of his type designing career. The bold weight was reminiscent of coffee house grotesk typefaces of the 1920s, while the lighter versions were supposed to bridge the gap to contemporary

ff Kava

a
Thin Light

a
Regular

a
Bold

a n
Regular

a
Black Thin

h
Light

c w
Thin Light

f
Bold Black

g i
Bold Black

N v
Thin

A
Regular

e x
Bold Black

k
Light Regular

ff Meta 3 | 2008 Erik Spiekermann

The lightest weights of the FF Meta family are now available in OpenType. The new Pro version supports Greek, Turkish, Central European, and other Extended Latin languages.

v f Ppr
ThThecbchckclctfbffffiffjfftfhfifjfkftfufvfwfyheqtsbschshskslspsttfthetitjttttfttittjtutvtwty

System is a set of interacting or interdependent entities

the school of sports clockwise direction street-check

INTERCONNECTIVITY
processing and outputs of material, energy or information
FF Meta was originally (1985) conceived as a typeface for use in small point sizes. Against its intended purpose, FF Meta very quickly became one of the most popular typefaces of the computer era, and has been referred to as the Helvetica of the 90s not necessarily a compliment. It is used a lot in magazines, from the Normal weight in small point sizes for captions up to the Black version for large headlines.

structure, defined by parts and their composition

Soft Systems Methodology

ff Meta 3

a
Hairline

a
Hairline Italic Thin

a g
Hairline

a
Thin Italic

a
Light

a
Light Italic

t
Hairline Italic

N
Thin

c
Thin Italic Light

b G
Thin

a
Light Italic

e
Hairline

k
Hairline Italic

g
Thin Italic

s
Light

R
Light Italic

h
Hairline

r
Hairline Italic

ff Tisa | 2008 Mitja Miklavi

Mitja Miklavi has added a Thin and Light weight to his award-winning ff Tisa.

trunk diameters of up to 4m

taxus baccata

Bright Red Berry-Like Structure Called an Aril

sumatra
arils are mature in 69 months
0 23' 0" South, 101 46' 0" East
the seed is dangerously poisonous

Especially the Longbow

Slovenian designer Mitja Miklavi drew ff Tisa to meet the technological and aesthetic requirements of modern magazine use. His primary goal was to develop a softer, more dynamic version of a nineteenth-century slab serif wood type. A large x-height and pronounced serifs make ff Tisa extremely legible in text sizes, its unique design details, including slightly exaggerated ink traps and a fairly upright italic, becoming evident in display applications. The typeface was selected by the tdc judges for a Certificate of Excellence in Type Design in 2007.

BotanicGardens

ff Tisa

a
Thin

a
Thin Italic Light

a a
Medium

a
Light Italic

a
Regular Italic

a a
Bold Italic Thin

a
Medium Italic

a
Bold

g s
Regular Italic

O
Thin Italic

e
Light

W
Light Italic

r c
Bold Italic

t
Medium

g
Medium Italic Bold

ff Typestar | 1998 Steffen Sauerteig

Now available in OpenType

Space Exploration

TECHNOLIGIA optical character recognition

Th-Prgrssvm

Quantum Mechanics Theory 101

SEMICONDUCTORS

HARDWARE
FF Typestar from eBoy is a collection of five unaffected fonts for the working world the classic typewriter meeting the demands of modern communication. The four basic weights offer everything necessary for office communication and the OCR variation is a monospaced alternative for more mechanical moments.

PARTICLE GENERATOR

Code*0194783*

ff Typestar

a
Regular Italic

a
Black

a M
Italic Black

a
Black Italic

a
OCR

c
Regular

g e
Italic

y
Black Italic OCR

O i
Black Italic OCR

r
Regular

s
Black

o t
Black Italic OCR

Q
Regular

B
Italic Black

ff Unit Slab | 2009 Erik Spiekermann, Christian Schwartz, Kris Sowersby

New FontFont

kilograms per second squared

System of Measurement

METROLOGY
Mm
When Erik Spiekermann and Christian Schwartz first started work on ff Meta Serif, they were also planning to do ff Unit Slab, either at the same time or right after ff Meta Serif was released. They figured that since ff Meta and ff Unit have so much in common, it would be smart to make two serif families that could be used together, along with either of the sans serifs. ff Meta, which has more organic details, was going to be the more

0123456789 0123456789 0123456789 0123456789

Bureau international des poids et mesures

traditional serif text face. ff Unit seemed like it would adapt well to being a clean and contemporary slab serif, especially since the i and I in the sans already showed them what the serifs would look like. Kris Sowersby and Christian Schwartz actually worked together to rough out complete ranges of testwords for both families at the same time, and ff Unit Slab sat half-finished while ff Meta Serif was completed.

Express Occurring Quantities

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

ff Unit Slab

a
Thin

a
Thin Italic Light

a a
Medium

a
Light Italic

a
Regular Italic

a a
Bold Italic Black

a
Medium Italic

a
Bold

a g
Thin

a
Black Italic

a
Ultra

a
Ultra Italic

s
Thin Italic

e
Light

g
Light Italic Regular

c
Italic

FontFonts are available through fsi and its distributors. FontFont and FontFont typeface names are trademarks of fsi FontShop International GmbH.