Nice Web Type

I noticed some tweets on Friday and I wanted to share them with you, so I marked them as Twitter favorites. As you know, this means they show up as favorites here (mobile too). Sometimes this way of sharing works really well. In Friday’s case, it does not.

Here’s the problem. Friday’s favorites are more valuable as parts of conversation threads than as individual thoughts. In fact, because several of the same people participate in each thread, it’s downright confusing to view all of these tweets chronologically.

Too bad I can’t favorite threads. I can find—but not link to—threads in search results. Which is okay, I suppose, because search results seem to disappear after a while; they’re not permanent like the tweets themselves.

This tweet from Typographica is at the root of two threads:

1. Typographica: Aegir Hallmundur has penned a great summary of the current state of type online http://bit.ly/4tPgj Tho his service fears are overstated. #

If you haven’t read Type Online, you might want to do that for some context. I haven’t yet read it myself, but I’m familiar enough with the arguments surrounding type licensing that the following Twitter threads not only interested me but piqued my curiosity about Aegir’s article. I will read it sooner than I would have otherwise. It was on my list already; now it’s at the top.

Here are the two threads, which happened simultaneously among Typographica (@typographica), litherland (@litherland), Aegir Hallmundur (@aegirthor), and Tiffany Wardle (@typegirl).

Buying type vs. renting type

1. Typographica: Aegir Hallmundur has penned a great summary of the current state of type online http://bit.ly/4tPgj Tho his service fears are overstated. #
2. litherland: @aegirthor “a system that allows you to get access to a face for a week, or a month” Can you give an example of a real-world application? #
3. Aegir Hallmundur: @litherland Say you get a client needing Extremely Rare Face, that you’re sure you’ll never use again. You’d want to rent, not buy it. #
4. Tiffany Wardle: @aegirthor never say never. ;) #
5. Aegir Hallmundur: @typegirl Ah, yes, good point! Still, for rare/expensive faces you’d want the option. Say if you can pick 100 faces for your ‘package’… #
6. Tiffany Wardle: @aegirthor true. if it $$$$ then being able to rent might work for the needed purpose. similar to what House is going to do with PLINC. #
7. litherland: @aegirthor When a client wants a face that you’re sure you’ll never use again, you build that cost into your fee. As always. Why rent? #
8. Aegir Hallmundur: @litherland No, to actually use for a job, for as long as you need the font files for. Allows for lower costs, perhaps? #
9. litherland: @aegirthor Subscription models rarely allow for lower cost over the long term. #
10. Aegir Hallmundur: @litherland True, but the flexibility you could gain, important to some – I know many agencies who would appreciate the option. #
11. litherland: @aegirthor I’m still not convinced! There’s something I’m missing here. #

On subscription-model licensing

1. Typographica: Aegir Hallmundur has penned a great summary of the current state of type online http://bit.ly/4tPgj Tho his service fears are overstated. #
2. litherland: @typographica Disagree. I think concerns about the subscription model merit more exploration from us all. (http://bit.ly/4tPgj) #
3. Typographica: @litherland “you don’t have control over what’s available” — valid concern, but talking w/ @typekit I think they’ve thought this through. #
4. litherland: @typographica That’s not my concern. I’ve talked about it here and there, but should accumulate and formulate my thoughts more cogently. #
5. Typographica: @litherland Also important to remember that the subscription model isn’t a catch-all solution. Some sites call for different licensing. #
6. litherland: @typographica I view the subscription model as a mistake and I need to lay down a sustained argument for why I think so. #
7. Aegir Hallmundur: @typographica @litherland @typegirl I’m neither for or against subs, but it has many cautions/opportunities worth exploring. Blog post? #