when i thought of Helvetica Flair yesterday, i asked myself if things like that are even legal - taking a letteshape, altering it (maybe better talk about “extend it”) and using it again. please be aware, im not talking about selling it - just using it for personal or business matters.
by the way, most of you will know it, but on typograpica, you can find a nice interview with phil martin.
it all depends on the foundry’s EULA. Some allow for font alterations, some don’t. Be sure to read the documentation that comes with your font license.
That said, some feel that once you license a typeface you should be able to alter it however you please, but I won’t go there… you can find that discussion elsewhere on typophile.
When designing I do whatever the heck I want. If there are legal and moral dilemmas, I deal with them later.
I don’t see a problem with modifying a typeface.. adding curlys or whatever for a project. However, altering the typeface and then turning it around to sell as another typeface I might have a problem with.
At my advanced age I learned a lesson. I was commissioned by an ad agency to alter a face for one of their clients’ exclusive internal use. In my innocent ignorance I assumed that they (the client’s client) had bought the use of the face for a number of work stations. Wrong. The people in the users’ design pemrtment had apparantly not poaid for the font.
My embarrassment is greater because now I find it is not just OK to mess around with someone,s design whether you have paid for the use of the font or not, at least it’s not that way acoross the board.
I don’t intend to take on that kind of work again, no matter how innocent it sounds. It’s boring work anyway. Maybe they’ll allow me to plug into this Forum from the bucket.
Jim
My observation, is that when you come across a typeface, whether already in print or digital, for a project ie., poster, logo (with rights procured) postcard, one might be bound to add or subtract for purpose to add a meassage, this is in the realm of acceptable. If your purpose is to redesign and distribute as altered face, this is unacceptable. Addition or subtraction can add a great deal in the visual sence. A designers comfortability with type is essential. I believe that stretching, scaling or obsuring a typeface’s general being is morally unacceptable more than creating something new. By redrawing or deconstructing a letterform is to use a typeform naturally and extend the meaning or purpose for which it was initially designed.
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