Hmm.. Well, I think the 'Costa' 'a' is gorgeous.. ( As is the whole typeface, if I were to tell.. )

I don't mean litterally 'ugly'. That was hyperbole - it's true.

I should clarify that I mean the top bold 'a' specifically - not the italic form & by ugly I don't mean disgusting or horrible but rather something odd or different from the other characters. Something suprising & unprogramatic - maybe a little stinky even. An exception.

There are alot of examples of this kind of thing in other arts.

- In perfume you often need a stinky/musky smell to go with your pretty aromas in order to take attention ( musk ) & then reward that attention ( flower, fruits, spice etc. ).

- In western musical theory you need some 'disonant' or 'sad' notes to go with your 'whole' or 'happy' notes to create a feeling of resolution - otherwise it just sounds a bit boring.

- Vienamese food needs a bit of stinky fermented fish sauce (which taken straight would be terrible) - or it comes off as bland & uncomplicated. The fish sauce provides interest.

I am sure there are plenty of other examples & probably better ones & even the Coasta 'a' may not be the best example of this exception in type - but the point is that type in general benefits from careful use of exceptions & this is perhaps most true in a text face.

I want to try to focus in on characters that benefit from being exceptional in some way & maybe even a bit distorted or stinky for a text face.

I was hoping to do this without getting into the whole legibility/readabilty/baouma (sp?) debate - or a sellability debate ( Spiekermann's often related comment ((now paraphrased poorly by me)) that type designs with unusual shaped letters often sell better).

Anyway - no offence meant. Just the opposite in fact.

I think Costa's letters are quite pretty, even the "a".

But I understand what you're saying. I think Gill Sans' e and a are among the ugliest letters ever drawn.

I suppose what's more important is how the shapes of the letters fit together to form readable word gestalts. That might require ugly letterforms from time to time.

In what weight? All of them or just the bolds weights?

( Just to provide a better sample for 'Costa'.. And, That would be the 'a' I was talkin' about.. )

Eben, I understand that all opinion about design is purely subjective, but I wonder if you and I are seeing Costa in the same light?

I do agree with Hrant that some characters, on their own, are bound to be a little odd looking. I also agree that it is for the good of the "group" that this occurs. But, how often does it happen? I personally do see some typefaces where a character is ugly--my opinion...all subjective--but if the designer knows--perhaps I need to read the whole thread first--what they are doing there doesn't have to be a lot of this occurring.