Services for Type Designers

There is no “typical” Alphabet project. We continually refine our processes, tailoring them to the specific needs of every job. Whether we’re performing complex technical customizations and screen optimizations or clearing up smaller-scale problems, we relentlessly track down the best custom solutions for our clients and collaborators.

Quality Assurance

Quality comes first. Guided by our custom QA scripts and font-validation software, we assess the technical quality and specification compliance of a font not just when it arrives at and departs from our office, but also continuously during production and mastering. That way, we keep unwanted surprises—and there are always surprises, with any project—to a minimum.

Corporate Font Engineering

Designing a custom typeface or finding the right one for the job is a difficult task, and tailoring it for multiple specific needs is no different. Acting as translators between type designers and end users, we offer a range of services to support both parties—from guaranteeing consistent quality across platforms to delivering robust font files.

Advanced TrueType Hinting

Despite the rise of retina and ultra-high-definition displays, the vast majority of environments still require a lot of attention when it comes to type on screen. Stemming from more than a decade of experience, it is one of our core areas of expertise to enhance a font’s on-screen perfomance. From ClearType rendering to Greyscale or even black and white rasterization, we optimize fonts to fit the device’s pixel grid, resulting in crisp and clear renderings in all (or very specific) kinds of resolutions and sizes.

Custom Fonts

Distinctive design solutions matter not only to large corporations looking for exclusive corporate fonts, but also to small clients searching for the perfect typeface for a specific use. We know how to navigate licensing and remain in close contact with designers and foundries. We handle all aspects of the communication and coordination of a project, modifying fonts as necessary for our clients’ needs.

Scripting

Working on a font project can get repetitive, but many redundant activities can be automated by a script. Rebuilding composites or checking kerning values and metric information are just a couple tasks that a tool can handle. Some of these tools form part of our daily workflow, but if a client is looking for a more specific solution, we’re more than happy to help find—or make—the tool required.

Consulting

Projects of all sizes naturally come with lots of questions. It’s one thing to design the right typeface for the job, but getting it to do its job is another story. With over 20 years of experience in the type industry, we help you find tools, define parameters, and answer questions—and figure out which questions you need to ask.

Workshops

Technology is an integral part of making type. We help our clients understand what font engineering is about, and teach them how to focus as much on a typeface’s technical qualities as on its aesthetic ones.