This is always a fun question to answer because whatever I put down now, I’ll most certainly skoff at in the not too distant future. I look back on work that I did 5 years ago and wonder what I was thinking when I picked some of the faces I used. (Be it financial limitations, skill or understanding.)

So, I’ll go with a few that I enjoy using more often than others (as of late):

1. Meta
2. Emigre’s Brothers
3. Helvetica
4. Myriad Pro
5. Farnham

I don’t use very many serifed fonts. Mainly because I don’t feel confident in picking them.

There are other threads for this. I think it might be worth keeping the discussion centralized on one of those.

When selecting a font for a particular job I consider the type of reproduction process and most importantly the substrate to printed on. Of course legibility and subject matter is also important to me when considering a type family.
I guess the old factors of considering masculine, femine or neutral types are out the window, unless you march in a parade.

Comic Sans. There is nothing you can’t set in it.

:)

Comic Sans. There is nothing you can’t set in it.

Essentially I agree, but I’d have to add Algerian for when I *really* wanted to get creative.

i like comic sans...

and;
ad lib
bradley hand
castlet
carleton
anything garamond
dauphin
papyrus
president
stacatto
tahoma
zaft chancery

but keep in mind i do ALOT of invites and decorative stuff.. so its a pretty fussy list...

sara

In general I’m down on the classics, but have to admit that I’ve used them all at one point or other — so I shouldn’t begrudge others having their fling. I even became quite cosy with Helvetica for a while in the mid ’80s.

In some ways it’s like the repertoire of classical music. There was one pianist who was 30ish, and “saving Beethoven for later” (maybe I got the instrument and the composer wrong, but you get the idea).

From a type designer’s perspective, many of us take a crack at the classics, doing “our” version of Jenson or whatever. Jenson, Bodoni, Garamond — those seem to be the “essentials” for reviving, and for using no doubt. So I would say, if you’re going to get involved with one of those hoary old faces, why not work with a few variations — including present day interpretations — to really get the feel of the thing.

1. Univers
2. Univers
3. Univers
4. Umm...Univers

I looked Stephen, but no luck.
Could you point me in the right direction?

so Nick:

current flings aside, if I made you work with a small selection of type - pick a number like 20 or so - and delete the rest until 2008, what could you not work without?

(I know it’s tough)

BABY TEETH
ITC GORILLA
SINALOA
RANSOME NOTE
PAPER CLIP
are at the top of the list

Akzidenz
Sabon
Eureka
Fruiter Next
Linotype Univers
Stone

Agenda
Myriad
Parisine
Cartier
Electra

You can add to the Wiki on “Essential” Typefaces.

...what could you not work without?

Can’t answer that kind of hypothetical question, IMO it’s meaningless and a waste of time, it needs so much qualifying. Besides, I’ve always believed that the typeface should suit the job, not the typographer.
I posted a reply, above, as the thought struck me at the time.
I wrote an article, The Perfect Set, that’s relevant a few years ago — the types chosen wouldn’t be the same now, but the principle, which is geared to specific criteria, still holds.

Surprised no one has mentioned this one.

http://www.linotype.com/3501/funeralvaluepack.html

It’s the last font set you’ll ever need. One you can take to the grave.

Great links - thanks.

I understand what you mean Nick. Depending on your outlook it could be a redundant question. Some designers have the alternate view that a certain array of type could be chosen to fit most applications, which I see in your article you did when faced with an academic budget constraint. Looking at your article I was surprised to see so many highly stylized display faces - I look forward to reading it.

Nice sii! Didn’t mean an actual ’final’ set of fonts!

For every job there is an ideal typeface. That typeface usually does not exist.

Some designers have the alternate view that a certain array of type could be chosen to fit most applications, which I see in your article you did when faced with an academic budget constraint.

That wasn’t the reason at all. The array serves as a canon of type genres which it’s good educational practice for designers to become acquainted with. Too many students would otherwise take the easy route and use Helvetica for everything.

I was surprised to see so many highly stylized display faces

Why?

That typeface usually does not exist.

In which case there are 300-1000 type designers on hand, ready for the commission.

“It’s the last font set you’ll ever need. One you can take to the grave.”

PUNNY!

I use Helvetica the most I think. Univers, VAG Rounded and Memphis comes second. I also started using Delicious for web design. It looks surprisingly good on the screen.

I am paitiently waiting for the chance to use Giddy Up for a professional job.

There will be so many lols when that happens.

Janson
Trajan Pro

*HAleyFiege: I used Giddyup yesterday!

Did you do it for the lols?

Comic Sans is passé. My choice is either Apple Casual or Chalkboard, either of which work as a universal font for all occasions and circumstances.

advent
garamond pro
verdana
myriad

Haley:

I did it for a rodeo theme camp for kids. I just changed it to Rosewood open, per client’s request today.

I’m not a professional by the way.

Adobe Garamond
Agenda
Avenir (haven’t really used it a lot, but it is wonderful)
Caecilia
Eureka
Georgia
Meta
Scala Serif/Sans
Serifa
Souvenir
Union

Gill-freakin’-Sans! (so timeless in comparison to the Helvetica look-alike bunch)
News Gothic
Verdana

Rockwell, or Memphis in a pinch. My favorite font at small sizes.

Chaparral Pro (so underrated when you don’t have Thesis Serif!)
Oranda, Charter (good alternative slabby-trannies)
Thesis Serif
Scala serif

Delicious (Favorite free font)

Garamond, Bembo, Caslon too.

My favorite Free Comic font: 39Smooth.
(tho most versions you find are sort of corrupt)

Please give me Kabel or give me Neuland...

I do a lot of graphics that need that little kid friendly look....

To many to name. Here are some favorites. Interestingly enough (or maybe not at all) I got this sheet from school, it had about 50 or so typefaces we were allowed or encouraged to use. It also had about 25 that we were never supposed to touch at any cost. At the top of the untouchable list was Papyrus.

Celeste
Meta
Interstate
The Sans
The Serif
Mrs. Eaves

red.sea—out of curiosity, what else was in the list of 25 ’untouchables’?

—K

At the moment I tend to use Underware.nl typefaces a lot.

Sans serif = Auto (1,2,3).
Serif = informal - sauna, formal - dolly.

Bello is also very nice, wish I had some more jobs in which I can use it though =)

I’ve also used interstate quite a lot last year for a uni project and made some tees with Mrs. Eaves (one of them has written on it:
Flying fish effectively affiliate in affluent fjords - which is a quote by someone on this forum, I just forgot who it was again...sorry about that) =)

If I had some money I’d also like to get some barnbrook fonts, but I think that that will have to wait for a bit now until I get a job.

Because my academic papers generally lack in content, I try to make up for it with the aesthetics of the paper. I love using Minion Pro for the bodies of my papers. And everything else.

So,

Serif:
Minion
Caslon

Sans:
Myriad
Univers
Helvetica
and, for some reason, Agfa Rotis

If I had enough money: Gotham from H&FJ

HaleyFiege, I used Giddyup recently in a package design (as requested by the client).

At the moment I use
Gotham
Trade Gothic
Neo Tech
Freight sans and text
Adobe Caslon
Gill Sans
Eurostile
Verdana

Most of these are defined by the job in hand, not my choices.

In the studio we only have a few at the moment:

National Grotesque
Feijoa
Galaxie Polaris
Fedra Sans
Maple
Helvetica

In the studio we only have a few at the moment:

And Newzald, Karbon,Aperture etc!

National Grotesque looks exciting!

Charter
Galaxie Polaris
Apex New / Serif
Feijoa
Verdana
Georgia

And Newzald, Karbon,Aperture etc!

I was meaning ones I had that were kerned or had a fullish character set(mostly) ;)

Always moaning about the kerning!

Just to clarify, Duncan is my official type tester, he uses typefaces of mine in progress and tells me to hurry up & finish certain bits.

—K

In another thread today I said one could set just about any text (I’m speaking of body text as in a book) in a good cut of Baskerville. Interestingly, although I have a licence for Storm’s version, I’ve never actually used it, believing I could pick a typeface that exactly suited the purpose (Baskerville is comparatively wide, too, and economy is often an issue). Here’s what I’ve used over the years for setting books, and was happy with the results (in order of most to least used):

Filosofia
Tyrnavia
Minion
Bembo
Fournier
Eplica
Elysium
Relato
Caslon (Berthold and Adobe)
Adobe Garamond
Centaur
Adobe Jenson
Warnock
Goudy Old Style

Myriad is the sans serif I use almost exclusively, mainly for labels on maps and diagrams and occasionally for photo captions (I’m not a big sans fan).