hrbrmstr's Daily Drop

  • Drop #689 (2025-08-05): Typography Tuesday

    Today’s typography-centric edition of the Drop looks at three topics: Flexflex, a JavaScript library that reshapes uppercase letters within defined boundaries; Fit, a variable font emphasizing geometric design and space usage; and the concept of overshoots, which ensures visual balance in letterforms.

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  • Drop #686 (2025-07-29): Typography Tuesday

    Today’s typography-centric edition of the Drop discusses the evolution and modern usage of hyphens and dashes. It highlights the complexity of hyphenation in web design, emphasizing the importance of language context for proper hyphenation. We also acquiesce to the use of en dashes over em dashes for phrase separation and introduce the dashing free font…

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  • Drop #683 (2025-07-22): Typography Tuesday

    Today’s typography-centric edition of the Drop features SimSun, Common.otf, and EB Garamond. SimSun, the default Chinese font, became iconic due to its functionality despite criticism. Common.otf challenges copyright by fusing familiar fonts, questioning ownership in design. EB Garamond preserves Claude Garamond’s legacy, evolving through collaboration and accessibility, bridging tradition and modernity.

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  • Drop #680 (2025-07-15): Typography Tuesday

    Today’s typography-centric edition of the Drop looks at the evolution and significance of the Proxima Nova typeface, designed by Mark Simonson, which has gained popularity over four decades. It also highlights Atlassian’s typography system, and features a fun freebie font: King Sans.

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  • Drop #678 (2025-07-08): Typography Tuesday

    The typography-centric edition of the Drop discusses the significance of typeface names, highlighted by a graphic on etymology. It explores Zohran Mamdani’s campaign typography, which employed bold designs and vibrant colors, breaking traditional norms. Lastly, Setup Type Lab offers unfinished font families as beta versions for real-world testing, promoting experimentation in type design.

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  • Drop #674 (2025-07-01): Typography Tuesday

    Today’s typography-centric edition of the Drop highlights the significance of small symbols like reference marks in typography, which aid in guiding readers while maintaining text flow. It features Gentium Plus, a versatile font with extensive multilingual support, and reveals how Apple’s historical design elements reside in its Symbols font, showcasing a nuanced connection to technology’s…

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  • Drop #670 (2025-06-24): Typography Tuesday

    Today’s typography-centric edition of the Drop features 3 monospaced fonts: Wumpus Mono, a freemium font designed for programming; Annotation Mono, a customizable variable font; and 🍁 Mono, a multilingual offering. Each font caters to specific needs in coding aesthetics and functionality, with a focus on legibility and innovative design.

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  • Drop #666 (2025-06-17): Typography Tuesday

    Today’s ominously numbered typography edition of the Drop explores the darker aspects of typography, focusing on Zalgo text, a chaotic representation achieved through Unicode, and Hellvetica, a subversively broken Helvetica font that distorts readability. It also discusses the Seven Deadly Sins of Typography, named after common mistakes, emphasizing how design can influence communication and provoke…

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  • Drop #659 (2025-06-03): Typography Tuesday

    Today’s typography-centric edition of the Drop again discusses the risks posed by modern printer surveillance, which can trace printed materials back to their sources, highlighting the importance of returning to analog methods like letterpress printing for security. It also features two free fonts: Comic Shanns Mono and Empty Marker, suitable for coding and creative uses,…

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  • Drop #652 (2025-05-13): Typography Tuesday

    Today’st typography-centric edition of the Drop covers recent typography controversies that include the improper kerning on Pope Francis’ tombstone, which highlighted the importance of precise letter spacing, and the criticism of Nebula Sans for mislabeling itself as “humanist.” Both incidents reflect how typography shapes perceptions and can evoke strong reactions from communities, surpassing mere decorative…

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