The Man Who Designed Verdana and Georgia Describes a Life Making Fonts

Read a magazine, book or website and you’ll see the product of Matthew Carter’s labors all over it—because he’s the guy who designed hundreds of fonts, including Verdana and Georgia. In this video, he describes the interaction between technology and design in the creation of typefaces.

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My Type of Neighborhood: Mapping the Type Foundries of New York City

My Type of Neighborhood: Mapping the Type Foundries of New York City

I love old type specimen books. Any foundry, any period, it doesn’t matter. They will have me hypnotized. But I don’t usually linger at the title pages. Who would, really? All the fun and exciting stuff comes after that: the impossibly small text faces, the spectacular display faces, all the sample uses variously dowdy and natty.

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Fix Autocorrect’s Bad Habits by Resetting Your iPhone Dictionary

Photo: Josh Valcarcel/WIRED

Photo: Josh Valcarcel/WIRED

You know how it’s supposed to work: As you type, your iPhone or iPad keyboard silently learns words in the background for future autocorrect suggestions. But sometimes that “learning” can backfire — especially if you inadvertently teach the system words and phrases you don’t really want autocorrected. Luckily, when your iOS keyboard gets a chronic case of letter-rot, there’s an easy way to undo all those bad habits.

If adding new shortcuts and contacts still hasn’t fixed your autocorrect woes, you likely need a fresh start. iOS 7 makes this easy.

Go to Settings > General > Reset and tap the “Reset Keyboard Dictionary” option. If you have a password set, your device will prompt you to enter it and then warn you that it’s about to “delete all custom words you have typed on the keyboard.” Say good riddance, and hit “Reset Dictionary.”

Bingo. No more typos or embarrassing autocorrects when using keyboard — at least for the next few months.


    



What Hoefler & Frere-Jones’ Breakup Means for the Future of Type Design

What Hoefler & Frere-Jones' Breakup Means for the Future of Type Design

Chances are you’ve looked at the work of Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones at least one time today. The type designers are behind many of the world’s most-loved fonts, like Gotham, made famous by Obama’s 2008 campaign. But according to a nasty legal document making the rounds today, the duo has parted ways.

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12 Monumental Structures Made From Type

12 Monumental Structures Made From Type

When architects and designers want to make a point, they certainly love to spell it out for us. So check out these buildings, statues, and sculptures made from letterforms, from Lettering Large: The Art and Design of Monumental Typography, a new book by Steven Heller and Mirko Ilić.

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This Gorgeous Game Teaches You the History of Typography

Do you like type? Did you go see the movie Helvetica and break out in tears of joyful satisfaction at the end credits? Do you have a graphic designer cousin who taught you what sans serif meant, and did you think it was fascinating? You’re going love Type:Rider.

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How The New Yorker Redesigned For the First Time in 13 Years

How The New Yorker Redesigned For the First Time in 13 Years

In its first major redesign since 2000, The New Yorker has revitalized its brand: gently updating its layout, redrawing its 88-year-old typeface, and recruiting a contemporary typeface to solve today’s design problems. But don’t worry—Eustace Tilly is not about to go all Gap logo on you.

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Scientists Invent Mind-Reading System That Lets You Type With Your Brain [Science]

Researchers have invented a mind-reading system that, for the first time in history, allows any person to type words and phrases letter by letter, just by thinking. It all occurs in real time, without moving a single muscle or uttering a single word. More »