Changing Fonts = Customization?

Where is the forum for this?

Published on October 31, 2005 By Sembetu In Requests

I have a question I need to ask of anybody who can answer it. Where is the area for fonts? From a design standpoint, fonts may be one of the most important visual elements in any designer's toolbox. There are several areas here in WC that could easily be trimmed to accommodate for the space required, and those areas could be shifted to the archives. Additionally, I would be willing to bet lunch that the fonts culd be another area of profitability for stardock/winCustomize. Imagine Premium Fonts from various designers. How many of us have created a portion of a custom font in a vector or photo editing program for the sole purpose of using it in a wallpaper, logon, bootscreen, icon set, theme, or WB skin? Ask yourself when the last time you did this was.

Here is what I am proposing:

Create the space for it here and distribute free working fonts just as anything else is distributed.
Pay for the extra overhead with the increased subscriptions and Premium Font Sets from reputable designers.
Offer quarterly font packs available for download from stardock central or purchase on CD.
Provide font tutorials from competent font designers to encourage better font creation.
Include some brief articles from time to time on the history of typography.

I know there will be resisters and detractors on this one. "Oh go hawk your font design ideas elsewhere!", or "This is a design site... focusing on Windows Customization!" or "Who will moderate it, and how will we pay for it?". I am not disputing that any of these concerns are valid, I am simply saying that we customize our machines with fonts as much as we do with graphics. If by no other means than by installing them on our systems for our own use. This forum is so very well organized, and it could easily sustain this important feature. And, yes, I believe it does have a place here. Think about it. Mull it over. Let me know what you think. Are you a moderator who has thought of this before? Are you a designer who enjoys using different fonts in their work other than Helvetica, Verdana, Times New Roman, and Courier? You might just be the next useful contributor. Woever you are, if you feel this is a warranted effort, or not. Make a sound about this.

Inquiring minds want to know, and thank you for reading.

Sembetu

Comments

thomassen

on Nov 01, 2005

Are you a designer who enjoys using different fonts in their work other than Helvetica, Verdana, Times New Roman, and Courier?

Yes I do, but for me to use a font in a text or in my OS it would have to be a complete font package as the most annoying thing I find with fonts are fonts with missing glyphs. Free font are rarely of such quality and the few times they are it's made by professionals and released for free by the company for some reason.
However, dingbats and symbols are different though, as they are quite nice sometimes to insert quick and easy symbols.

Jafo

on Nov 01, 2005

There's already a squillion font sites on the net....and also, so many are proprietary that it would be quite difficult to determine what was a legitimate upload [lawful] and what was not.

Put simply, it'd be a logistics nightmare....

Vailene

on Nov 01, 2005

There's already a squillion font sites on the net....and also, so many are proprietary that it would be quite difficult to determine what was a legitimate upload [lawful] and what was not.
Put simply, it'd be a logistics nightmare....

Not really Jafo, I'd think it would be easier to maintain than the other categories, personally. And yet again, add even more great content to the site with what I'd imagine to be little implementation to the sites' code. (I do web-base programming, can't fool me)

Perhaps, the same mods or whomever that approve wallpapers could approve the fonts being submitted. In that case, we'd have like 10 fonts posted here and nothing else approved. Sorry, I have to bash on the wallpaper approvals. (Not just me who thinks that, as obviously shown in the forum.)

But anyways, for what it's worth from another "scrub" in the community, awesome idea Sembetu. I vote for it.

I'd gladly undertake such the task of the approvals if ok and if it were to happen. I'm a great judge in what's unique and what's overkill. Unlike the wallpaper approval people. Sorry again! Not really!.. Lol.

Jafo

on Nov 01, 2005

Not really Jafo, I'd think it would be easier to maintain than the other categories, personally.

Ultimate Edgemaster ...I think it's a 'safe bet' that my opinion is a wee bit more 'learned', being one of those responsible for those wallpaper approvals you wish to 'bash'.

Let's see if you can post links to a dozen fonts guaranteed to be royalty-free and with no restrictions/limitations on redistribution. Good luck...

Cyberworld

on Nov 01, 2005

quite difficult to determine what was a legitimate upload [lawful] and what was not

Ditto....although good fonts are hard to find,usually all i get is crappy looking or letter-missing ones.

Vailene

on Nov 01, 2005

Let's see if you can post links to a dozen fonts guaranteed to be royalty-free and with no restrictions/limitations on redistribution. Good luck...

Excuse Me!..

Wow haven't gotten that reaction to a post in a while.

Anyways, isn't the topic here more or less a new Font category where people would upload their "own" works? I don't see where what's out on the net now as far as fonts is even releavant here.. But, since you've asked I have a TON of fonts meeting the criteria. I'm not trying to "challenge" you so I'll refrain from posting the links.

The real issue here is someone submitted a good idea and I'm trying to give it a push in a positive direction. Smack my hand if it's a bad idea to be supportive?

Can you not expect my response regarding the wallpaper approvals? I've upload a few original and creative ones that did not meet approval. Yet, have seen "some" bland ones in comparison uploaded.

Again, not "challenging" you, but trying to put a positive spin on ideas submitted. Afterall, I'm pretty sure WinCustomize.com didn't appear from thin air, it was built on ideas?

Jafo

on Nov 01, 2005

I don't see where what's out on the net now as far as fonts is even releavant here..

That'll be where the distinction lies. The inability to see relevance belies the veracity of a font section being a 'good idea'.

I can guarantee a very large percentage of submitted fonts, [were there to be a section for them], would be of questionable origin.

As much 'positive spin' as you like can be put on an idea, but 'spin' is not reality, and like it or not we deal with reality.

Spin is for spin-doctors. Politicians love them...and they can have them...

Vailene

on Nov 01, 2005

I can guarantee a very large percentage of submitted fonts, [were there to be a section for them], would be of questionable origin.

I can side with you on this fact. But, then again couldn't this be the fact for all uploaded things? I dunno. But, not my decision afterall.

Sembetu

on Nov 01, 2005

Food for thought...

The Macintosh logo is copyrighted

The Windows XP logo is copyrighted

I guarantee that there are a LOT of fonts used in themes/skins that are technically only free for non distributed purposes.

And I am sure the list goes on.

Yes, it is true that there are a lot of font sites out there, but so too, there are a lot of wallpaper sites out there. Few of them have the quality factor this site has. I would submit that the reason it is easy enough to spot poorly created submissions or rips is because the Moderators are adept at visual art of that nature. However, it would take a person well versed in typography to properly moderate a font section, admitted. Consider also, though that there is o shortage of volunteers to help with this endeavor... volunteers. Last but not least, a well documented font is just as important as documenting any source material for any other type of created visual work. Besides if people are going to rip, they are going to do it regardless, it is my opinion that most of the the patrons of this site are here because of the quality factor and reliability of the products distributed here anyway. Have some faith in your cutomers. We like it here, and we are interested in the overall community.

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