Reflecting on the past year, we can say the number of new typeface releases was remarkable. The type market has become more diverse and competitive than ever, with new fonts hitting the scene every day. Both amateur and professional designs are eager to be in the spotlight so they can really be seen. In this hectic landscape, we find it valuable to offer insights that help identify excellence and merit within the crowd. This includes evaluating proficiency in crafting letters, the overall quality of the font, and the contributions that a new typeface brings to the table.
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24 Hour Hangout for International Women’s Day 2025
What time is it? It’s time for our annual tradition: the Alphabettes 24-Hour Hangout to celebrate International Women’s Day! ⏰ From March 8, 2025 at 12:00am ET / 05:00 UTC to 11:59pm ET / 04:59 UTC 3/9, stop by for conversations on type, design, lettering, the universe, etc. Some times may be more spontaneous and chatty, other hours might be filled with activities and presentations.
>>>Join the Live Hangout!<<<
Note: We’ll be using Jitsi.
Continue readingDear Alphabettes: Legal protection of typeface design
Dear Alphabettes,
I have a question about the legal protection of typeface design. Is registering a typeface design (in addition to its name) something that should always be done? After asking different lawyers, some would advise doing it each time (more work for them), some say that registering the name is already a protection that can be considered enough, although not 100% protection.
Lisa (France)
NOTE: The answers below are comments from members of Alphabettes. The information shared here is based on their own experiences, and may not necessarily accurately reflect the law in the countries being discussed. We always recommend getting legal advice specific to your situation.
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24 Hour Hangout for International Women’s Day 2024
It’s that time of the year again: our annual 24 Hour Hangout on International Women’s Day. It’s a day when we collectively decide to ignore any little voices of reason or sense and instead hold a hangout with type nerds on the internet for 24 hours straight. Are you in or are you in?
Second-half of 2023 font releases
Now that 2023 has come and gone, here is the follow-up to our July post, Mid-year Font Releases 2023. Since then, we’ve catalogued 42 additional releases during the year. In alphabettes-ical order:
ABOVE: Akuto Sans Serif by Bríguida Guerreiro / ALT Riviera by Giulia Boggio / Amboni by Anita Jürgeleit / Baleze Display by Daytona Mess / Bardamu by Anna Remm & Eugene Tantsurin / Brillante by Solenn Bordeau, Jolana Sýkorová & Jérémie Hornus
Continue readingSome of us
Below is a collection of photos of Alphabettes—and a few other colleagues—over the years at various type conferences and other special events. Have other photos to share? Let us know so we can add them here.
Mid-year font releases 2023
We have reached a good number of font releases in 2023. Halfway between 2022 and 2024 seems like a good moment for a recap. What happened in the font market in these first six months of 2023? Get ready for a font treatment. Experimental, neutral, bold, colourful, classy, expressive, playful…, there are options for all kinds of type tastes. Explore the list and consider adding some of these new typefaces to your font library.
Readex Pro by Nadine Chahine, Bonnie Shaver-Troup, Thomas Jockin, Santiago Orozco & Héctor Gómez / CoFo Sona by Liza Rasskazova / CoFo Gothic by Maria Doreuli / SFT Scrhifted Sans and SFT Sushka by Yulia Gonina
Adelle Sans Korean by Chorong Kim & Changseop Im/ Arvana by Noheul Lee & Loris Olivier / Dragon and Neutronic Hangeul by Minjoo Ham / 29LT Zarid Sans HZL by Lisa Huang & Chuyang Zheng
Nova Caps by Tania Chacana / Isard by Pilar Cano & Ferran Milan / Foldit by Sophia Tai/ Rosalie by My-Lan Thuong / Min Sans Stencil by TienMin Liao
Waverse by TienMin Liao / Ciudadela_LC by Muk Monsalve / Carole Serif by Lisa Schultz & Matz Gasser / Melindrosa by Flavia Zimbardi / Hanae by Flavia Zimbardi & Ayaka Ito
Jobim by Flavia Zimbardi & Inga Plönnigs / Octavia by Flavia Zimbardi & Tida Tep / Amberwood by Alanna Munro / Relais by Olivia Wood & Alezander Rütten / Lo-Res Monospaced by Zuzana Licko
Avril by Laurene Girbal / Borel by Rosalie Wagner / Caliste by Émilie Rigaud / Ginka by Julie Soudanne / Scorpione by Pauline Fourest
Aeroplan by Nina Faulhaber / Filip and Mikrobe by Elena Schneider / Baustraße by Franziska Weitgruber & Michele Galluzzo / Anona by Joana Correia
Baga by Joana Correia / Loretta Display by Joana Correia & Abel Martins / Solfa by Catarina Vaz & Rui Abreu / Joc Display by Sabina Kipară / Silverknife by Diana Ovezea
Ceraph by Emma Piercy / Fuzar by Noheul Lee & Loris Olivier / Sixten by María Ramos & Noel Pretorius / V1olet by Carmen Nácher / Konrad by Martina Meier
Felicette by Lynne Yun & Cris R. Hernández / Kensington by Jen Hood / Neue Swiss by Jen Wagner / Salad Days by Meg Lewis / Socko by Libbie Bischoff
There is a handy spreadsheet that compiles some extra information. It’s a living document, so if you want to see something added to this list, please send a comment.
👏👏👏 Congrats to the designers and engineers behind all these releases. We are looking forward to discovering what’s next in the second half.
24 Hour Hangout for International Women’s Day 2023
Last year, we took a hiatus from our ridiculously complicated and sleep-depriving idea of a 24 Hour Hangout on International Women’s Day. The concept was first crafted in 2019, before endless video calls with friends around the world was as normal as shoving a medieval torture stick up your nose and wiggling it around for 15 seconds. This year, we’ve decided to once again (dis)organize our 24 Hour Hangout on Wednesday, March 8. And, we hope you’ll join us.
Here’s how it works:
From March 8, 2023 at 12:00am ET / 05:00 UTC to 11:59pm ET / 04:59 UTC 3/9, stop by for conversations on type, design, the universe, what’s in that dreaded ‘desktop’ folder on our desktop, whatever! Everyone is welcome. Some times may be more spontaneous and chatty, other hours might be filled with activities and presentations.
Look! A Handy Timezone Chart!
Some fun plans throughout the day (times in ET):
00:00: Amy kicks it off with a bedtime story
02:00: Liron and her daughter, a budding 7 year old lettering artist, talk about learning to write
03:00: Typewriter chat with María and friends
09:00: Boom shares what she’s up to in Bangkok and Luang Prabang, Laos this month
10:00: Ro and friends discuss the recent anticonferences and events they just organized
11:00: La Hora Spanish with Caro and friends
12:00: La Segunda Hora Spanish with Laura, María, Elena and amigas
14:00: Alanna and Sophia on live streaming type design
15:00: Ro and friends will make posters in preparation for the Women’s Day march
16:00: Bianca and Tânia show books and chat
17:00: Luisa’s Advice hour! Unqualified advice about life, typography and everything else.
18:00: Teresa hosts type conference social hour. Yes, there is a TypeCon this year.
21:00: Lisa on AI generators + letters + typography + low-res impressions of language
and more! Surprises! Fun! Chats!
Who can attend:
You! All are welcome* to stop by when you can and leave when you need. Video is possible but just audio is fine, too. Or, just help the chat stay aflame. Keep an eye on this post and the socials for any updates and help us spread the word! INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY = FUN.
* Participants must follow our code of conduct.
49 fonts and more in 2022
As we say goodbye to 2022, let’s sip some champagne and celebrate a few things we accomplished this year.
Since January, we’ve featured 49 new font releases on our Instagram account. Kudos to María Ramos, who kept pace with the formidable influx of new releases throughout the year. Oh look, a pretty grid of type promos:
