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ktinkel
03-23-2005, 01:30 PM
Every so often I like to look at Identifont’s list of Top 10 fonts (http://www.identifont.com/top-fonts.html). Here is the list shown today (March 23, 2005):

Helvetica Neue
Catull
Gill Sans
Akzidenz-Grotesk
Shelley Allegro
Helvetica
Formata
FF Scala Sans
Boulevard
Bickham Script
Three Swiss-ish sans serifs (Helvetica old and Neue, Akzidenz-Grotesk). Three scripts. And only a single serif face (Catull), and that an odd one.

But these lists usually seem odd — not particularly representative of anything in the real world (rarely the “hot font” du jour, or even what you see used in ads).

Have to remember to check periodically; see how the list changes over time. (I think Helvetica is always on there, however.)

annc
03-23-2005, 02:28 PM
Every so often I like to look at Identifont’s list of Top 10 fonts (http://www.identifont.com/top-fonts.html). Here is the list shown today (March 23, 2005):


Helvetica Neue
Catull
Gill Sans
Akzidenz-Grotesk
Shelley Allegro
Helvetica
Formata
FF Scala Sans
Boulevard
Bickham Script
Three Swiss-ish sans serifs (Helvetica old and Neue, Akzidenz-Grotesk). Three scripts. And only a single serif face (Catull), and that an odd one.

But these lists usually seem odd — not particularly representative of anything in the real world (rarely the “hot font” du jour, or even what you see used in ads).

Have to remember to check periodically; see how the list changes over time. (I think Helvetica is always on there, however.)That bit about Helvetica really puzzles me.


Most people never buy a single font. They either just use what comes with Windows and MS Office, or they download zillions of fancy fonts free from the Web.


For the rest of us, Helvetica is usually required early in our career, and we buy it then and never again.


So does this indicate a heap of people coming into the design industry every month, or just that it's at the top because most of us will scratch around amongst what we have every time we get a new project, rather than buying a new one that may be better for the job?

don Arnoldy
03-23-2005, 02:40 PM
But these lists usually seem odd — not particularly representative of anything in the real world ...The site says:"The top ten most requested typefaces"

I wonder if this is based on the number of people who try to "match" the face.

annc
03-23-2005, 02:48 PM
The site says:"The top ten most requested typefaces"

I wonder if this is based on the number of people who try to "match" the face.Hmm. How many people out there don't recognise it instantly? <g>

Michael Rowley
03-23-2005, 03:35 PM
Ann:

'Most people never buy a single font'

The figures come from sales of fonts in the last month, don't they? In that case the few people that buy fonts can influence the list quite easily. As a matter of fact, I'm using Helvetica Neue 55 just now (I mean while I was working), and if I need one of the 57 varieties I haven't got, I'll have to influence the lists some more.

ktinkel
03-23-2005, 05:58 PM
The site says:"The top ten most requested typefaces"

I wonder if this is based on the number of people who try to "match" the face.Maybe so. And of course the results would reflect the volume of requests — if there is little enough activity, two or three searches could tilt the results dramatically.

And, of course, if plain old Helvetica didn’t match, and then Helvetica Neue didn’t match, they might end up with Akzidenz-Grotesk (which has been having an odd sort of popularity recently), and that could account for the results they present here.

Something similar could account for having three scripts there, script faces being notoriously difficult to ID.

So if we eliminate all of those, we are left with Catull, Gill Sans, Formata, and Scala — which is more like it!

annc
03-23-2005, 09:42 PM
The figures come from sales of fonts in the last month, don't they?Not quite, Michael. They're the most requested fonts, as Don points out. I'm not quite sure what that means.

In that case the few people that buy fonts can influence the list quite easily. As a matter of fact, I'm using Helvetica Neue 55 just now (I mean while I was working), and if I need one of the 57 varieties I haven't got, I'll have to influence the lists some more.I b ought the full set of Helvetica Neue Condensed about 13 years ago because I needed something condensed but readable for tight doube column tables of dressage results. It's been one of my most-used purchased faces, and therefore well worth the initial cost.

Michael Rowley
03-24-2005, 07:47 AM
Ann:

'They're the most requested fonts'

Ha! You thought you had to be bold to get my attention.

Although you were quoting the most 'look-ups', the results were close to Linotype's (I think) top sales for the month. I expect they're not too different, for most buyers look up the sources of the fonts they're looking for before buying them—at least, that's what I do.