The search for new sans-serif fonts is always a chore for me. Finding a sans-serif font, that has the right balance and play in its characters and does not assign meaning or dominate the stage, is perhaps the great challenge of the graphic designer. This is why, time and time again, I return to Helvetica.
That said, I thought I’d share three new fonts I acquired, that definitely show some promise and got me excited (and they are all free, which is a bonus).
AUdimat
AUdimat is clean and centered, with a crispness that is neither too sharp nor too boxy for practical use. Characters are well thought out and relate to each other nicely. The intriguing cuts and rises, make for a unique experience. AUdimat works best at larger sizes.
Blue Highway
Don’t let the name fool you. I wasn’t initially very drawn to Blue Highway, but after playing with it for a while I grew quite attached. Set in all CAPS, it reads much like, well, a highway sign. But set in lower or proper case, and you instantly find something refreshing in the descenders, how they are interrupted or cut short.
Reznor
Reznor caught my eye from the beginning for it’s unusual use of reverse letter “n” in the upper case. Inspired by Nine Inch Nails, this could easily have been just as bad, but it’s not. It’s really just Arial, with a few refinements. One such refinement is the elimination of upper case letters, which for me, solves 70% of the problems I have with Arial. The rest seem to be addressed with much better form and understanding of balance. It’s everything Arial should have been, as an alternative to Helvetica. (did I mention I hate Arial?)
All in all, not such a bad start to a day. What gets your goat? What floats your boat?
