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Font Diner (or: Stu's Font Diner) [Stuart Sandler]

Stuart Sandler (Minneapolis) runs six foundries: Font Diner (est. 1996), Sideshow, Breaking The Norm, the Tart Workshop, Font Bros (est. 2006), and Filmotype (est. 2006). He runs a handful of other companies and web shops as well, including Mister Retro (est. 2004). He is passionate about retro type. DaFont link for their free fonts. Fontspace link. Interview.

Catalog of the best selling Font Diner fonts. Images of Stuart Sandler's best-selling fonts.

Free fonts: Rickles (2007, script), AirConditioner (2002, fifties style upright script), BahamaSlim (2004), BlackNight (2002, blackletter), BlackWidow, BubbleMan, ChannelTuning, Corrupter, CreakyFrank, DecayingKuntry, FeaturedItem, FontOnAGrain, FontOnAStick, Fontdinerdotcom (one of the earlist beatnik style digital typefaces), FontdinerdotcomHuggable, FontdinerdotcomLoungy, FontdinerdotcomSparkly, Fontdinerdotcom Jazz Dark, Fontdinerdotcom Jazz Light, Hothead, KeeponTruckinFW, Leftovers (2002), MaverickBE (stencil face), Musicals, PickAx, Rickles (2009; upright script), RocketScript (2002, retro script), Schnookums, SinsofRhonda, Spacearella (2002), StencilGothicBE, ThatsSuper, Turnpike (2009), Witless, XerkerFW.

Commercial fonts: Continental Railway (1998, retro connected script), Anastasia, Chatty Cocktails (1998, art deco), El Nino, Guest Check, Hamburger Sandwitch (1998), Jumping Bean (1998, comic book style), Lionel Classic (1998, an art deco all caps face), Milwaukee, Motor Oil, and the greatest of them all, Coffee Shop (1998, exaggerated ascenders), a must! Other typefaces: Permanent Waves (1998, + Expanded: retro connected script), Yarn Sale (curlies), Fat Sam (not bad!), Etiquette, Taylors (1998, another great display font; co-designed with Dan Taylor), Kentucky Fried (1998, comic book / signage style), Beer Wip, Seuss, Jack Bisio and FinerDiner, Shivering, Dry Cleaners (2002), Singlesville Script (2002), Dripping Blood, Bowlorama, Action Is, Automatic, Chicken King (2002), CocktailShaker (2002, at Chank), Concurso Italian and Concurso Moderne (2003), DoggieBagScript, Johnny Lunchpail (2000, comic book style), Kitchenette (connected retro script), Lil Tipsy (2003), Milwaukee Neon (1998), Milwaukee Neon Shadow (1998), Motorcar Atlas (2000), Regulator, Stovetop (2002), Swinger (2002), WARNING (2002, rough stencil), BEBlob, BECROSS, DecayingAlternate, Decaying, EvilBrew, TheBlob, Insane Asylum, Creepy Crawly, Crossover, Fire Baaaad!, Rotten Teeth, Candy Good, EvilOfFrankenstein, HMan, HManPt2, PlasmaRain, Chicken Basket (2004), Chowderhead (2004), Cocktail Script (2004, upright), Country Store (2004, Western style), Dairyland (2004), Emblem Chief (2004, fifties diner script), Motel King (2004), Queen Rosie (2004), Sweet Rosie (2004, blackboard bold), Secret Recipe (2004), Square Meal (+Hearty) (2004), Bahama Slim (2004), Space Immortalizer, Matchbook and BE Streetwalker. Many font have a cool retro/fifties look. The InFlight Meal font set (2001) includes Al's Motor Inn, American Highway, Kiddie Cocktails, Lionel Text, Mosquito Fiesta, New York to Las Vegas, Pink Flamingo, Refreshment Stand, Starlight Hotel, Volcano King. The LasVegas font set: El Ranchero (2002), Hamburger Menu, Hamburger Menu Marquee, Holiday Ranch, International Palms, Lamplighter Marquee, Lamplighter Script, Las Vegas to Rome (stone chisel face), Leisure Script, Leisure Script Marquee, Mirage Bazaar (2002), Mirage Zanzibar (Arabic theme face), Mister Television, StarburstLanes, Starburst Lanes Twinkle, Vegas Caravan. At ITC, he published ITC Kiddie Cocktail (2003), ITC Mosquito Fiesta (2003), ITC Volcano King (2003).

In 2006, Font Diner acquired the Filmotype collection and its trademark, Filmotype. Sandler writes: Filmotype initially manufactured a simple manual phototype machine utilizing display typeface designs on 2-inch filmstrips. Additional films were sold to start-up typesetting companies in order to increase their product selection. Font Diner will create new digital versions of the Filmotype collection, recreating it to meet todays graphic design standards. [...] We intend to release the Filmotype library in OpenType format so the original designs can be fully realized with a dynamic feature set including alternate glyph forms and automatic substitutive ligatures.

In 2007, Font Diner started publishing digitizations of the collection: Glenlake (condensed Bank Gothic, by Mark Simonson), MacBeth (script), Alice (casual script), Zanzibar (calligraphic), La Salle (brush writing originally by Ray Baker in the 1950s, named after Chicago's LaSalle Street), Ginger (Mark Simonson; masculine headline typeface genetically linked to Futura), Austin (paintbrush), Brooklyn (hand-printed), Honey (handlettered script), Jessy (handwriting), Modern, Vanity, Filmotype Ford.

In 2010, Stuart Sandler published a book entitled Filmotype by the Letter, in which he details the company's history.

Free fonts on the Google Directory, dated 2010: Fontdiner, Swanky, Cherry Cream Soda, Permanent Marker, Homemade Apple, Schoolbell.

In 2012, David Cohen and Stuart Sandler published these typefaces at Neapolitan: Irish Grover Pro (2010, a bouncy face), Satisfy Pro (2011, a connected retro script face), and Slackey Pro (2010, a paper cut out style face). At the same place, he also published Crafty Girls Pro (2010, co-designed with Crystal Kluge). With Crystal Kluge, he also co-designed the flowing connected script typeface Aya Script (2012).

At Sideshow, he published the pen-drawn connected script Mister Brown (2013) and the retro signage script typeface Cocktail Sauce (2014).

View Stuart Sandler's typefaces.

Jolly Lodger (2012, Google Web Fonts) is an informal retro script.

Typefaces from 2018: Cherry Soda, Deviliette, Fat Sam, Doggie Bag Script, Cherry Soda, Deviliette, Fat Sam, Doggie Bag Script, Black Night (an eerie blackletter), American Cheese (retro display style).

Typefaces from 2019: Madelinette Grande (by Stuart Sandler and Crystal Kluge: created by hand with traditional pointed pen, it includes calligraphic penmanship and rustic styles).

Typefaces from 2021: Bon Marche (a curly vernaculat script by Stuart Sandler and Crystal Kluge), Los Angelino (a script by Stuart Sandler and Crystal Kluge), La Bohemienne deLuxe (a calligraphic script by Stuart Sandler and Crystal Kluge), Epicursive Pro (a script by Stuart Sandler and Crystal Kluge).

EXTERNAL LINKS
Font Diner (or: Stu's Font Diner)
 [Buy fonts]
 [Designer info]
Monotype link
Dafont page
Fontspace page
Klingspor Museum page
MyFonts search
Monotype search
Fontspring search
Google search

INTERNAL LINKS
Sites with only a few free fonts ⦿ Commercial fonts (small outfits) ⦿ Type designers ⦿ Type designers ⦿ Stencil fonts ⦿ Blackletter fonts ⦿ Horror fonts ⦿ Western fonts ⦿ Type scene in Wisconsin ⦿ Type scene in Minnesota ⦿ Photo and film type era ⦿ Blackboard type ⦿ Arabic simulation typefaces ⦿ Art deco typefaces ⦿ Comic/cartoon fonts ⦿ Signage typefaces ⦿ Neon tube or faux neon typefaces ⦿ Beatnik types ⦿ Cutout or paper-cut typefaces ⦿ Calligraphic typefaces ⦿ Penmanship ⦿ Chiseled fonts ⦿