I decided to make a design which incorporated the thinnest/lightest weight lines possible in FontStruct. This is the result; I'll add more if people like it.
These 1/32 lines cannot be accurately nudged, so a unique line has to be built for each vertical position where I want a line. These lines also cannot be centered on a place where two curves meet (such as the middle of B or R). This introduces some unintentional asymmetry to the design, but I like it, so I'll keep it.
There is also the problem that forming a diagonal line of the same line weight is nearly impossible. While angled 1/32 lines can be formed, their angles are all close to 0. No method exists for making a line which slants at 45 degrees while also being 1/32 weight. So, I had to make some thicker lines in certain areas. I don't think they detract from the design, but if you scrutinize this enough, you'll notice them.
Small-grid doodle which creates new combinatorial forms.
I considered this design rather rough and unappealing until I gave it negative spacing. This caused the forms to merge together in unpredictable and interesting ways. The lesson here is that sometimes the metrics, not the aesthetics, are what "make" or "save" a design.
A bricks experiment in which the bricks are made of bricks. (Yo Dawg.) The name comes from a Duck Game map created by my amazing friend, Star. It seemed fitting. :^)
Original proportions are reached at sizes that are multiples of 21pt! Use 21pt, 42pt, etc. to get them.
Best with antialiasing turned off, although you can do smooth stone, gel, or gem-like looks with different antialiasing modes in your graphics software.
A simple 16x16 terrain tileset. This is designed to work in color AND in monochrome.
In making this, I condensed all known biomes (terrestrial, aquatic, air, space, manmade, transitional) into 26 tiles. This allows a given tile to define multiple different types of areas/terrain, and it allows you to come up with your own meanings for these tiles, rather than having to memorize a legend. Some of the tiles are obvious and some are not; this is by design.
A-Z, a-z = terrain
0-9, 0-9+SHIFT = map borders/frame
*
Original size: 12pt
Map Template:
.0123456789
!,,,,,,,,,,
@,,,,,,,,,,
#,,,,,,,,,,
$,,,,,,,,,,
%,,,,,,,,,,
^,,,,,,,,,,
&,,,,,,,,,,
*,,,,,,,,,,
(,,,,,,,,,,
),,,,,,,,,,
*
See also:Donjon 16, Gremlin Skins
Version 1.1 - Added Polish.
*
A font for times when Immersive Mode is turned off. This is used for documents and signage within the Euphedoran Extradimensional Research Institute situated in Euphedora, Greater Azwelkeland, Planet Ashr within ESOSVM.
EERI is known for Fengmiao Fukota, Salva Dheen and Triste Marinan, three of ESOSVM's most-learned and chronologically oldest AI characters. The lattermost of these is often consulted (through a software called MIDAS) for analysis which I use to improve the readability of certain fonts.
An experimental design using 1/8 weight lines alongside 1/16 ones. The 1/8 lines are the smallest that can be accurately nudged. Centering them is still a problem at times, and I need a few impossible composites to perfect the glyphs ABEFHKQRXYijkx34789, but overall I'm quite fond of how this doodle turned out.
I think I could use some intensive compositing to get rid of the central dividing line in glyphs like A and H. I'll give it a try when I can.
10x10 fantasy- and RPG-related icons. The bigger they are, the better they look!
This is finished! I'm happy to hear out and possibly implement others' suggestions, though.
*
A - Knight's Blade
B - Warrior's Shield
C - Paladin's Helmet
D - Samurai's Armour
E - Wizard's Potion
F - Thief's Keys
G - Monk's Rosary
H - Dwarf's Pickaxe
I - Necromancer's Scroll
J - Sorceress' Staff
K - Shaman's Totem (Spider)
L - Ninja's Glove
M - Assassin's Bow
N - Cleric's Holy Symbol
O - Viking's Hammer
P - Bandit's Buckler
Q - Barbarian's Axe
R - Druid's Mandrake
S - Priest's Altar
T - Jester's Crowns
U - Warlock's Book of Shadows
V - Witch's Lantern
W - Dancer's Lei
X - Hypnotist's Charm
Y - Miner's Hat
Z - Explorer's Map
a - Trapper's Caltrops
b - Demolitionist's Arsenal
c - Vampire Hunter's Boomerang
d - Herbalist's Bag
e - Archaeologist's Fossil
f - Goblin's War Trumpet
g - Gourmand's Platter
h - Musician's Harp
i - Gladiator's Net
j - Oracle's Beads
k - Bard's Singing Sword
l - Spelunker's Rope
m - Merchant's Abacus
n - Gambler's Dice
o - Siege Operator's Catapult
p - Aztec's Warclub (Macuahuitl)
q - Drunken Master's Jug
r - Fighter's Headband
s - Judge's Gavel
t - Guru's Meditation Balls
u - Dungeoneer's Folding Ladder
v - Moneychanger's Scales
w - Cultist's Altar
x - Magician's Hat
y - Friar's Cross
z - Fisher's Harpoon
0 - Skeleton
1 - Kobold
2 - Goblin
3 - Bone Dragon
4 - Pumpkin Head
5 - Slime
6 - Vampire
7 - Imp
8 - Dragon
9 - Mimic
. - Chest
, - Pile of Loot
*
See also: Donjon16, Militaricons, Travelicons
Font from the ingame marquee display of Barcade Brawl, a 2015 game by yours truly. This was made to look similar to the system fonts from old arcade boards, PC microsystems, etc. You've probably seen the fonts I'm talking about; they're everywhere and many people refer to them singularly as "the arcade font" or "the NES font".
This is 7x7 with no wasted matrix, but it looks better without monospacing since not every glyph is the same width. It also makes a decent terminal & chat font, at least for those who don't care about the case of the messages they read and write.
Feel free to use this in your games, etc.!
*
Original size: 5.25pt (use multiples of this size for pixel perfection)
When life gives you halflemons, make Halfade!
*
This is what I call a Plain Spurless design. There are no actual spurs, only right-angled corners to suggest spurs. All lowercase letters are like this except r, which is a Rounded Spurless because it needs to curve to avoid looking like Γ, and because it's only 2 bricks wide so there's no other place for it to curve.
I made this to have mostly right angles, to have a condensed look (see filrt), and to be good for speedreading. My own experiments in speedreading favored glyphs with simple curves which don't terminate in small arcs (see CGJSZfgjrsyz@()[]{}). There are exceptions (c2369?$) because these are more recognizeable when they have such arcs. Additionally, glyphs such as BPRXY have slightly rounded counters near the vertical center, which enhanced their readability without causing them to look out of place.
The remainder of design considerations were things which are fairly idiosyncratic and unlikely to be discovered by others. For instance, the descender of Q is 2 bricks, while lowercase letters' descenders are 3 bricks and symbols' descenders are 1 brick. This is the result of a technique that attempts to visually codify different cases & types of glyphs. The slightly different contours thus formed by each word on its underside seem to enhance both readability and aesthetics.
With this I was prototyping a design which combined features of Helvetica and Sans Forgetica. But, while I was making the uppercase, this design got corrupted. Therefore this Fontstruction is now abandoned... the project will continue in FontForge.
*
"Cheat Evil" is just an anagram for "Helvetica".
Some kind of great big ol' chain.
In retrospect, I think it looks like a jewelry chain from a dwarven civilization. Perhaps the hypothetical jeweler cut and ground the stones in an imitation of some dwarven font!
When glyphs are used in isolation, they somewhat resemble carved signets or seals. Increasing the letter spacing allows you to create a variation of the design. (This is something that must be done in-software since the font will render as monospaced by default.)
*
12SEP2018: Added lowercase... the low resolution combined with the design method make it very difficult to render distinctive lowercase versions of every letter, but I'll keep working on it. There's a lot of similarity between pairs like S/5, Z/2, etc., so this font is most effectively used in forms of writing wherein context suffices to inform the reader as to the identity of each glyph (lists, prose, and technical writings). If you want to use this in a password system or something, I recommend using one case's glyphs only.
*
Design Rules:
1. Negative spaces will be areas of 0.5 bricks' effective length or width.
2. Negative spaces may exceed the 0.5 measurement only by increments of 0.5 and in only one dimension at a time.
3. Glyphs will fill their framed canvasses to the greatest extent possible while adhering to the other rules.
My attempt at making a Unown font where all the letters are consistent in size. This is original pixel art made using a high-res reference. It's made to be a nice-looking design, not to be 100% accurate to the games. Upper case is fully kerned.
"We Dunno" is an anagram for "Unowned".
Original size: 6.75pt (use multiples of this value for pixel perfection)
Recommended: Use with kerning turned ON!
A space-esque design made for a friend! The angular counters give this a simplified geometry which makes it easy to read despite its looks. Works well for small- or large-scale applications - chat, terminals, logos, and more. Supports Dutch, English, and Greek!
The original was cloned off and preserved elsewhere. The version you see here has centered glyphs.
A pixel font for Western-style music notation. This allows treble and bass staff to be read and written at very small sizes, making it useful for pixel games, pixel comics, or anything else that needs to be at extremely low resolution.
Given the limits of the chosen method along with the limits of staff notation itself, this font won't please every musician. All suggestions are welcome for improving this one!
Original size: 10pt (use multiples of 10pt for pixel perfection)
------------------------------------------------------------------
USAGE
Read the wiki article on scientific pitch notation if you need help understanding note-names.
_ draws staff lines.
` or ~ at the beginning mark your staff as either a bass or treble staff.
Use a letter from R-Z and then one from r-z to mark the time signature. (Most songs are in 4/4).
Use UPPER CASE to notate for bass staff.
Use lower case to notate for treble staff.
Use <.1234567890,> and {?!@#$%^&*()+} to mark sharps and flats respectively. I recommend using these markings to REPLACE the notes they are meant to alter, rather than writing them next to the notes as you would with traditional staff.
Create some new staff lines between each note to seperate the notes in time. When you place notes without these spaces, notes will stack up on one another. You can use this principle in different ways to create chords and arpeggios.
------------------------------------------------------------------
BASS STAFF
A - A1, B - B1
C - C2, D - D2, E - E2, F - F2, G - G2, H - A2, I - B2
J - C3, K - D3, L - E3, M - F3, N - G3, O - A3, P - B3
Q - C4 (middle C)
------------------------------------------------------------------
TREBLE STAFF
a - A3, b - B3
c - C4, d - D4, e - E4, f - F4, g - G4, h - A4, i - B4
j - C5, k - D5, l - E5, m - F5, n - G5, o - A5, p - B5
q - C6
------------------------------------------------------------------
SYMBOLS & MARGINALIA
_ - blank staff
RSTUVWXYZ’"' - beat divisions
rstuvwxyz“”‘ - beat times
`~ - treble and bass clefs
- - 8va/octave up
<.1234567890,> - sharp symbol in various vertical positions
{?!@#$%^&*()+} - flat symbol in various vertical positions
There is no "natural" symbol. Your writing should take this into account.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Have fun!
Version 1.6
An attempt to make a "classroom" font. It reminds me of a font style which was once commonly used on magnetic letters.
*
See also: Hydrangea Unicase
A multiline pattern-fill design that looks like fish scales. It is a very functional multifont, especially at smaller sizes.
The spurs, stems, and line motion add subtle detail to help identify each letter. Additionally, some custom bricks are experimentally combined with the macaroni bricks to preserve the pattern while also forming the curves.
A 2x2 design which started with a "split" aesthetic and ended up with a "stenciled" one. I embraced the change and now all these glyphs are functional as stencils. They contain minimal stacking and no composites.
In some cases the inside is connected to the outside at only one point. If you decide to use this for stencilling, I recommend using a stout material for the stencil and storing it with care.
The name comes from one of the many, many old joke bands which I created.
Recommended: Use with kerning turned on!
Version 2.6
*
Inspired by a comment by jonrgrover.
I built diamonds sized according to the Fibonacci series, then made a segmented display out of them. The design was then carved away to make the glyphs you see here. I used the members 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8. These sizes proved most feasible to work with in this sort of arrangement.
I gave the terminals a flared appearance which I think makes the glyphs look slightly Celtic. The design also makes me think of beach sand and things found on the beach - shells, pretty rocks, and so on.
Experimental 24-segment display or massive monochrome Mondrian matrix. Pixel compatible!
The thinking behind this one was that with incongruously sized segments arranged in the proper way, I would create a design which was effectively 5x5, but which accomodated more glyphs than 5x5 usually does. Negative space is incorporated into the structure of many glyphs, though not enough to classify this as an IVO design.
"Qualtron" is the name of an imaginary entity that a friend believed in - a being meant to represent the result of "a mathematical equation that can rule the universe". I didn't inquire further about it... :D
*
Design Rules:
1. Segments can have interior length/width of 2 or 5.
2. The central 2x2 square must always remain open.
3. Square bricks and 90-degree angles only.
*
Original size: 20.75pt (use multiples of this value for pixel perfection)
My attempt at a font which uses only one grid square per glyph. I guess this is the Fontstruct equivalent of pixel art...?
As an extra challenge I decided to use no curved bricks. (This rule was since broken to add © and ®).
Even better letterforms could be created by compositing the entire thing. However, the goal here was to do what I could with the existing bricks. As such, only #?![]{}¹²³ make use of composites.
The Zephiest of designs - a gaggle of Roman columns with gongs stacked on them.
The new Eyeball Kids™ from Pixel Kitchen® are the best way to get your child interested in experimenting with eyeballs. Color 'em! Italicize 'em! Throw 'em into oncoming traffic! Abuse 'em all you want because EYEBALL KIDS ARE ETERNAL.*
! ! ! DO NOT FEED EYEBALL KIDS AFTER MIDNIGHT ! ! !
* - Eternal under normal use conditions. See the enclosed manual for terms.
Latin alphabet in an Ashrian style, mostly using a 2x3 grid, and using only stacked triangular bricks. Capital letters represent the full letterforms and lowercase letters represent the truncated letterforms used in Ashrian printing and computer systems.
Ashrians are the inhabitants of Planet Ashr in my RPG video game "Seven Candles". Their signmakers, carvers, and woodworkers used triangular gouges for millennia to make their letterforms.
VERSION HISTORY:
16 Mar 2018 - v1.0 released.
A more bookish take on Comicool, made for more comfortable general reading. It's still useful for comics, as well!
Many letters were squared off in the corners, lowercase letters were given stems, and an assortment of glyphs were edited for more style.
This is the third iteration of Comicool... rather than develop them all toward one style, I tried to make each iteration the best it could be. The result is three distinct, but still compatible styles. This one is probably the best for body text!
This is a clone of Comicool