While Chartwell is technically Fifa 14 Ultimate Team Coins impressive, Highsmith feelsinnovation is an integral part of type design. And alongside thetools, the business model of these type foundries has also morphedover the last decade. Big print publications used to commission newtypeface for magazines, but as that industry is being disrupted therevenue stream associated with it has shrunksignificantly. They also have to contend with a glut of highquality, free typefaces that can be had on sites like Dafont and the Lost Type Co-op, and eventhrough Google's webfonts service.
Piracy is also a source of concern for type designers, althoughslightly less so for those who are focusing on web fonts than thosestored locally on your hard drive. Names of typefaces can betrademarked and their digital source code can be protected bycopyright, but the characteristic designs of Helvetica, Mrs. Eaves,or Gotham have no inherent protection. According toHighsmith, the graphic design community is pretty well educatedabout properly licensing typefaces, though there is a segment ofthe community that pirates and collects fonts like Pokemoncards. Instead of spending time concocting a new DRM schemeto thwart thieves, Highsmith has a simpler solution and saysWe'll just draw new fonts.
Despite the challenges, Highsmith is optimistic about the futureof his field. New kinds of clients, like video game companies andsmartphone manufacturers, have helped keep the lights on. Foundrieshave gotten better at selling directly to their users. Some havebranched out into selling apps and home decor whileothers have turned to Kickstarter to fund new fonts, but the common theme is thattype designers will find ways to adapt to new technologies andmarkets, just like writers have.
Type is part of a story, says Highsmith. The typefaces youchoose can help tell that story.
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