Article 128175 of comp.fonts: From: "Apostrophe \('\)" Newsgroups: comp.fonts Subject: Re: Typeface of Swiss railway station signs Date: Fri, 23 Aug 2002 14:00:21 GMT "robinson" wrote in message news:3D6604BA.644FD969@thehub.com.au... > I don't believe the Brignall/Quay, Carter/Bitstream analogies > are not quite appropriate in this circumstance. > Hoffmann should be erased from the credit line if > Morison is erased from the credit line for Times New Roman. > Was Miedinger the designer or draughtsperson? > Hey, Helvetica isn't that good. > It looks like a good marketing idea poorly executed to me. > leslie > Of course, the design of a type and its art direction should never be confused. It is only because of such confusion that people end up thinking that Morison designed Times or Hoffmann designed Helvetica. The art direction of a type is more of an advisory position on how things can be improved, so an art director never does any of the actual design work. That said, some typefaces undergo art direction, but the majority of them don't. Types made under an apprenticeship of sorts are always art directed, and so are types that are commissioned by someone or some company for a specific purpose. The majority of independent font retailers have no idea what art direction is. One person does the font from beginning to end, or sometimes one person does the drawing and the distributor does the technical work. Mostly art directors are never mentioned. Sumner Stone art directed both Minion and Myriad, but because he left Adobe on bad terms this will probably be lost in the books (in fact, I don't see this mentioned anywhere now, so it already is lost). Jeff Level art directed many Monotype fonts, but it's documented nowhere and will become a myth in a few years. Albert Jan Pool art directed many Scangraphics fonts, but again it's documented nowhere. Alex Kaczun art directed many Linotype fonts, but his name is not even on their site. I suppose art directors can be credited where appropriate, but really, who but a few of us are interested in extended typeface credits? ' -- www.apostrophiclab.com