For all the assorted typefaces on Google Fonts, it is still quite rare to find a classical typeface tuned for display sizes. Playfair Display was commissioned by Google and has a large family with three weights, italics and small caps for each. Here it is paired with Lato for the website of Yuko Shimizu, and it works well with her gorgeous eye-candy illustrations. Claus Eggers Sørensen has more to say about the design of Playfair Display on his website.

Is it an olive branch for peace, or a roman emperor’s crown of laurels? A world map transforms into more than a description of borders. The professor asked that I have specific country names that were covered in his course revealed in the visible map leaves. I have always enjoyed the sinous curves of the ribbon-like Lydian and find it successful at incorporating a calligraphic touch into a very structured face without tipping over into floweriness. It has an authority that reminds me of banners and wall hangings at my grandfather’s Lutheran church. The open forms and taught curves of Lucida paired well with Lydian for the text/webfont.

“Kinfolk is a slow lifestyle magazine published by Ouur that explores ways for readers to simplify their lives, cultivate community and spend more time with their friends and family”.* Stephen Coles identified the typeface for the title, “Optimus Priceps, a kind of messy Trajan by Manfred Klein” [See the detail below]. These roughened letters inspire thoughts of whittled branches or the uneveness of a handcraft. The body text is Adobe Caslon. The breathy use of whitespace and letterspacing recall a lot of contemporary Japanese design (often set in Garamond). The Kinfolk magazine, cookbook and website all have a slightly different palette of type, but maintain a similar feeling across mediums. The clarity and warmth of the type as it is used here compliments the associations the brand promotes, which all boil down to a clear set of values. This is a book not just for cooking, but a place to find lifestyle recipes.

Inner spread with a detail added to show the textface

This site is a design portfolio for Ian Grivois and a place to share his experiments and writing. Aften Screen performs superbly at small sizes on the screen and has a serene and elegant character. Lyon has a familiarity that gives a sense of quiet to bodies of text, perhaps because the typeface draws upon references to the ubiquitous Times Roman. Lyon also has a distinctive and contemporary flare that does not prevent the reader from getting lost in text and ideas. The reserve of the roman cut joyously lets loose in an exuberant italic. Gibson is a wonderful workhorse typeface that is used here for headlines. The overall texture of the words have a beautiful fit and finish and there is gorgeous subtlety to be found in the reverse curves of the italics. It is a typeface that raises funds for a good cause (Canada’s national design organization) and has an exceptional price point. I am surprised it is not seen more widely on the web. The portfolio slideshow has H&Co’s Sentinel for headings, but that is not a standard part of site’s type palette. Overall, it is thrilling to have such quality web type available for design and to practice how best to use these on a personal site.

I have often admired the work of Herman Miller, and not just for their wonderful furniture and environmental concepts. I love the variety of interactions and sheer beauty of their website. It is a fitting vehicle for their products and ethos. The sanguine use of white space enriches the presence of both type and image in the layouts. They utilize FF Meta as a webfont with Arial playing the supporting role, much as if Arial was the typographic potato to Meta's meat. There is a lot waiting to be discovered on the Herman Miller website, and tasteful typography is part of it.