i got crazy with the type classifications so i organize them by foundry :)

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www.nunocoelho.com

Is that working for you? My main concern is being able to search through an extensive font library for something to suit whatever the need may be. That is, when working on a given project, I often think, "Hmm... this could really use a big, powerful bold slab serif or maybe something more ornate like a thick western face." So how do I organize in such a way that I can search every thick slab serif that I have or every western display face that I have?

PS. I also went a little crazy a while back and eventually gave up on the impossible task of classifying everything. Hence, the call for suggestions! :)

Font Agent Pro has taken a first, albeit small, step forward in this regard... the current version (4) of FAPro has a "classify" feature built-in. In their words:

"New Font Classification capabilities allow browsing by font category and style, as well as manual entry of classification."

...the upshot is that many of the "major" label fonts have been categorized already, and you can manually assign existing or new categories of your own. FAPro also includes nice search capabilities, letting you search by just about any factor - including foundry.

I thought this would be a godsend, as I've been meaning to do what you're attempting for years - organize my library(s). Of course, this implies that i have the TIME to do this, which I never seem to have.

First, trash all the ones that you didn't actually choose to licence.
(Because how much do you really, badly, need, know or even like them?)
So out goes all the spam that came bundled with your operating system and software applications, as well as unlicensed stuff that people who should know better sent you*, and you haven't got around to deleting.

This will make life simpler, and your creative process more focused and purposeful.

***

*e.g. At the moment I'm refining a wordmark for a major brand consultant, and along with their Illustrator file they emailed the entire font family for the tag line.

To Scott: I did read through a forum thread (3 years in the making! > http://typophile.com/node/5563) that supports Font Agent Pro as well. Suitcase has similar search functions and classifications and although I'm more familiar with it, I'd be willing to make the switch to something even easier. I'll check it out - thanks.

To Nick: You're absolutely right about eliminating excess fonts from my library. As Scott, above you, points out the real kicker there is the TIME to do that. I've collected so much garbage over the years that what I need to do is exactly what you suggest and sit down to eliminate surplus nonsense. That's part of what I want to accomplish in organizing. Something that would be helpful in this respect would be a database of sorts, that allows me to search fonts and outputs a classification so that I don't have to cruise my memory banks (and/or type books) to assign classes to every font. Do you know of any such thing?

On a similar note of simplification, what do you consider "usable" in the world of fonts? I've read several books on the topic including "30 Essential Typefaces for a Lifetime" and I'm anxiously awaiting "Fifty Designers' Current Favourite Typefaces," the UNICEF project, but I would be interested in your input. How long is an usable (not essential) list? Thanks for the input!

Jordan, I don't think there are too many short cuts.
Problem is, classification is very subjective, beyond sans, serif, and script.
There are various classification schemes, so perhaps what you should do is pick one you feel comfortable with, and go through your collection, classifying accordingly.
Or make up your own!

Or make it multi-dimensional, using keywords, so you could sort by:
-foundry
-date
-usage (eg text or display)
-features (eg does it have small caps, lining/osf?0
-historical style
-genre (eg girly script, upscale, techno, etc.)
-etc

As for usable, I have Type Odyssey 2 on CD, but none installed.
If I'm searching for a typeface I think might be on there, I wade through the booklet.

I tend to think that if one is looking for the right type for a particular job, it's worth the effort to spend several hours looking for it.

i organize them by foundry

Me, too. Seems the easiest way to me.

Nick and Scott, right on. It's nice to know that Font Agent Pro allows manual classification. It's somewhat akin to iTunes letting you label songs by selecting a genre from a pop-up menu.

FYI - Suitcase also allows manual classification via a pretty easy to use drag-and-drop 'drawer' which gets a bit tedious for large font libraries. Here's a screenshot. Is Font Agent Pro something similar? (I've yet to try it out - probably do that this weekend.) For me it would be easier to do this if I had a relatively easy way to search for those classifications that I wasn't quite sure about. It's easy to classify Helvetica or Garamond, but for a lot of faces that I never use it's a little more difficult for me.

Also, does organizing by foundry allow you to find a font that you didn't already know about? It's one thing to look at a project and know what font you think would fit and then search by foundry but another if you have no idea what you're looking for other than a general thought that it should be a serif face.

"Also, does organizing by foundry allow you to find a font that you didn’t already know about? It’s one thing to look at a project and know what font you think would fit and then search by foundry but another if you have no idea what you’re looking for other than a general thought that it should be a serif face."

the cool thing about organizing by Foundry is that you force yourself to know the foundry, wich types they made and they're style :) So usually yeah... i find that thype im looking for. If not... i just scroll for it
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www.nunocoelho.com

Look out for our new product coming later this year.

http://www.dtptypes.com/PDFs/Fontbase.pdf

Much may change from this initial info sheet, but the basics will be the same.

Does anyone here just use FontBook in OSX?

It seems to have the basic functionality to organize your type. I would like to be able to classify but I think it may be possible in FontBook - anyone know?

I use the linotype font explorer. it kicks ass
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www.nunocoelho.com

Jayy: I suck, and don't have suitcase. So, I do use fontbook out of necessity. In all honesty, it's not that spectacular. You can crudely "classify" fonts by putting them into secondary "collections" in the left-hand sidebar (much like making a playlist in itunes). Problem is that it takes *forever* to go through all of the fonts individually and place them manually into a collection. Not to mention the previously addressed problem of not knowing what to classify things as. Currently, I have them classified by sans, serif, serif oldstyle, slab serif, handwritten, script, and novelty (which I plan on overhauling soon, as this hasnt worked well for me).

If Suitcase really has these organizational features, im going to have to just buy it already.