Hey guys.
I was a follower of Typophile and typography in general some years ago. Grew tired to be fair and here I am once again.
Here I was thinking in doing some stuff once again and found myself with a question.
Aren't there are already too many type faces? Is there any space for new ones? New foundries? Is it still profitable enough to live without eating rice and tuna everyday?
What is your opinion on these subjects?
I find it most tiresome that this comes up so often, as it would be unusual in any other creative or practical discipline for someone to think it reasonable to stroll in and say "Why don't you just stop having ideas and creating new things. There's enough now." When a field is saturated with competition, all that means is that success requires being particularly good and original.
By all means, don't think that my question was that negative. It was more of a rhetoric question. To open a discussion regarding the actual state of the business in typography and ways to solve the saturation, paths to take. It is a creative discipline, true but also is design and there is still space for designers. Is there for typographers? (once again, kind of rhetoric question)
There are certainly a good many different typefaces, and designing new ones is hardly a sure-fire way of getting rich.
On the other hand, with some talent, enough perseverance, the right timing, a little marketing and some luck thrown in for good measure, there's still a descent possibility of coming up with something new that people will like, buy and use. Besides, it sort of fun — especially when a font is released and you start seeing it around in unexpected locations.
Public service: Typographers and type designers are not the same, just as photographers and camera makers are not the same.
You're right. I should be more careful in the terms I use ehehe
When I was an art director in the 1980s, I knew all the typefaces available, and that situation continued until the turn of the milennium. Now I suspect it is impossible, even for industry specialists such as Stephen Coles, to be aware of every typeface published.
But I wouldn’t say that this expansion of products is the same thing as saturation. The market is homeostatic, and it is not saturated as long as foundries keep on releasing new designs!
Nick, you may not find it saturated because you're one of the best around. Easier to market yourself. Not undervaluing your work. We spoke in the past and your work is awesome. For a beginner, isn't it really saturated? What is really a new good and interesting design nowadays? Could you give some examples?
Once again, see my replies only as a devil's advocate. Farming the discussion :P
By the way just bought that bible that is The Elements of Typographic Style. I don't know how in all this time I never bought it but... Here it comes.
What's wrong with lots of choices? It's like saying there are too many restaurants, or too many different shirts for sale.
Whether someone can make a living doing it is a different question; if they can't I presume they'll find a different line of work.
Markets will always appear saturated to beginners trying to break into them.
Except perhaps briefly, when a new technology comes along.
Then they will appear saturated to the dinosaurs.
The number of opportunities available in type design is greater than ever before. So is the number of people pursuing it, mind you. I'm not sure the percentage of people who are successful is higher, but the numbers are.
75 years ago, you pretty much had to work for a type foundry and mostly the only way in was through apprenticeship.
35 years ago, you mostly had to work for a typesetting machine manufacturer, and again apprenticeship was important. There were no schools teaching type design as a full program.
15 years ago, it was difficult to break into the field without being at a foundry, but at least there were again a number of them. Starting your own foundry or working with an existing foundry as an independent was an option, at last. There were a couple of schools starting to offer degrees in type design.
Today, you can be your own foundry or distribute through a reseller, and anybody with a computer can learn type design. There are a variety of degree programs and shorter courses available from schools that have really developed polished curricula. The number of people making a go of it as type designers is almost certainly vastly greater than at any previous point in history.
There are problems, to be sure. But in many respects it is a golden age of type design. I feel lucky to be part of it.
Loved the replies :) and you have a point. I tend to agree with you.
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How do your own skills have any influence on whether or not the market is saturated? It's not a matter of opinions. The market simply isn't saturated. It may seem that way because there are a lot of typefaces in the same style being released, which may give the impression that there is no innovation taking place. But even within certain styles, I constantly see innovation. Not every typeface is original, but at least once a month a typeface is released that fills a small gap, and at least once a year a typeface is released which makes me think "Damn, that's brilliant. If only I had thought of that". The principle of multi-layered typefaces is also a new one, of which we've only just started to explore the possibilities. As technology improves, the possibilities will increase as well.
One could only speak of a saturated market if there is an end goal or if it's an isolated market which doesn't change over time. However, no one knows how typefaces and language will change over time, so it seems ludicrous to suggest not only that we have all the typefaces we need, but also that innovation isn't necessary. How do you reckon it will work if the world keeps changing but there are no more typefaces being made?
Also, it seems you suggested there are enough typefaces based on style. I think there aren't enough, and I feel several of my typefaces do fill small gaps in the market, and I have plenty more ideas. But also note that a lot of type innovations are more or less invisible — particularly so for the layman.
One great example of "invisible" innovation is the introduction of specific formats for use of typefaces on the web. I'm calling this invisible because on blogs you will see a lot of newly released typefaces and as such you will get insight into the styles, but you won't get insights into various other aspects of the market. As such, you may get the crazy idea that because you see the same styles over and over (which might have a lot to do with the selection process of the blogs as well, as not every blog owner will be equally knowledgeable about type) the market is saturated, while in fact behind the scenes there is A LOT going on. A few years ago typefaces became available for use online, and so now everyone is upgrading their fonts for use on the web. So even if there are no new styles coming out, it will take years to upgrade all the typefaces for use on the web. Also realize that a lot of typefaces lack extensive language support. There are so many languages and so few typefaces that support the majority of them. In upcoming years typefaces will likely become more elaborate, with a wider language support and more features. Lots of typefaces lack small-caps as well. Could the market be saturated when there is actually still so much missing from the typefaces currently available?
And even if there is no truly original work coming out, currently a lot of major companies feel they should get a custom typeface which meets their exact requirements. So in that regard the market isn't saturated either. The world requires a lot of custom typefaces.
Also, type used to change over a time span of at least 50 years. It seems strange for a layman not to spot anything original in a few years and conclude the market is saturated. I know nowadays things change more rapidly, but it still takes some time for big innovations to occur. Besides, one could say we're consciously changing type slowly, because if you do it too fast it will have a very negative impact. People need time to get used to certain changes. I'm certainly seeing certain trends and changes in book typefaces in the last 20 years, so I suspect in another 20 years we will definitely have more insight into what characterizes our period. If after 20 years you look back and conclude type has stayed the same in 40 years, you might be able to say the market is saturated (or its designers have become stale). I can already see that this won't be the case. Besides, I have the feeling we're on the verge of dramatically changing the way we connect and communicate, the way we use the Internet, and the way typography is handled on the web. In time, typography on the web will be a lot closer to typography in print.