Typophile

Clock: a numbers font

Joshua Mayfield

This has been my summer/fall fun font—an heavy, inline sans number font based on the numerals from a 1930s GE Strike clock. It’s proved a challenge working on a font so heavy that has two different inline versions, but it’s slowly coming together.

Here are the different versions of the basic numerals. The screenshot is of the Illustrator file, so it doesn't represent spacing/kerning.


I think the 9, and therefore the 6, need some refinement, but other than that I'm pretty happy with the numerals.

I'll go ahead and attatch a .pdf of the complete character set, but it's of the “outline” version only.

I’ll also put up some screen shots in a different post of some of the trickier characters I'm not sure are entirely working, but for now, would love to hear any thoughts and suggestions!

AttachmentSize
Numerals Test Sheet Sample.pdf31.58 KB
Riccardo Sartori

Have you thought about adding some less quirk version of some of them?
(for example, |4| looks very wide, while |2| appears unbalanced)

Joshua Mayfield

Ok, sorry for the late reply (I was sidetracked with another idea I'll share), but yes. Because the numbers were optimized for a clock face, some of the proportions were very different. I have updated the |4| (which was too wide) and the |1| and I'm working on a new |2| as well. The originals I'm keeping as alternates.
Here are the an updated |1| and |4|.

Joshua Mayfield

I began experimenting with glyph substitution with this typeface, just to learn how to do it, and the idea popped into my head that I could use it to create clock symbols using Discretionary Ligatures. I finally figured out the "coding" and created created some very simple clock symbols that show any time in five minute increments. (That's an extra 144 glyphs per font!)

Because this typeface is supposed to be layered, I built that into the clock symbols as well. The chart I created shows it best.

Does anyone think this is a useful or nifty feature? Or just a bother?

And here are the missing characters from my pdf:

Hrant H Papazian

Related: http://tktype.com/chartwell.php

hhp

Joshua Mayfield

Chartwell is an inspiration. Travis Kochel really took the concept to max!

Joshua Mayfield

Here are the new |2|s, with the old one serving as an alternate to the new. I can't decide between the new ones, but I'm leaning toward N1, but N2 look more deco.

Joshua Mayfield

Well, I finally got around to releasing it! Glad to finally have one of the dozen or so faces I'm working on for sale.

View it on Behance http://bit.ly/15mP70E
Or Myfonts http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/joshua-mayfield/roloi/

Captured from web.archive.org on 15 Apr 2015. view this capture