Ambigram-inspired pixel font.
Possible uses for this:
• Code/cipher (about as good as Pig Latin)
• Gibberish/placeholder text
• Making other people think you've taken leave of your senses
• Inspiration (type something, scan visually, let words come to mind)
• Automatic writing (let what you see guide your typing)
• Monogram-based designs
• Texturing other pixel art à la Gremlin Skins
• Writing vertically so that the letters form a neat column
• Prototyping the most visually confusing roguelike game ever
• Actual ambigrams
• Having the satisfaction of knowing that anything rude you write is effectively written twice
• Whatever you'd use it for
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Original size: 12pt (use multiples of this value for pixel perfection)
See also:Four Winds
Lowercase only!
This font used to be the lowercase for Spacekapitan. I cloned Spacekapitan so I could keep this, then reworked Spacekapitan into what it is now. Then I continued working on this font to make it the best it could be, and here we see the result. It has almost nothing but 90-degree angles.
This is mostly built around a 5x5 square which makes its way into most glyphs in some way or another.
I think this would make a good companion font for "Your Quota".
This is a clone of SpacekapitanStylized 5x5 pixel font. Tiny but power-packed!
I designed it to have a slightly balloon-esque, oldschool arcade look. Feel free to use it in your games.
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Original size: 7.5pt (use multiples of this value for pixel perfection)
I made a blocky, industrial sort of style, then added art deco-style line width variation. Then, a couple of tech lines here, a couple of details there, and SHAZAM! We get these 1950's-era raygun-toting space race zippity zap letters. It's a font Marvin the Martian might use...
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Original size: 7px (use multiples of this value for pixel perfection)
Another experiment. I made a grid out of the pinwheel shapes, then started drawing on it. Not sure why the bugged glyph count... hope nothing goes wrong...
Try viewing at 2x Pixel size to see how it is intended to look!
Type one of `|\^[] then a letter to texture the background as well!
Type _ to create the blank pattern between letters.
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Original size: 51pt (use multiples of this value for pixel perfection)
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Design Rules:
1. Alphabetic glyphs must fill the pinwheel grid space as much as possible.
2. The pinwheels must not touch any letter's perimeter line. Nor must they deviate from their formation, except when being deleted to make room for the perimeter lines.
3. 90-degree angles only.
A chimera (fusion) which combines inline-versus-outline, maze, Gemscript, and other techniques to produce a timeless look.
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Original size: 6.75pt (use multiples of this value for pixel perfection)
Design Rules:
1. Square bricks only.
2. A 1px soft border of negative space must exist between lines whenever possible.
3. Glyphs must fill the 9x9 grid to the greatest extent possible given the rounded style.
4. The set of glyphs shall be a heterogeneous mix of symmetrical and asymmetrical forms.
5. Negative space will replace positive in any situation wherein the small grid size or the geometry of a letterform would be detrimental to the chosen style. This includes all situations where any shape lacks at least a soft 1px border of negative space around it.
See also: Terran Pixelcruiser
High-res version of Marengi.
This is made to be ultramodern and ultraregular, just as high-tech futuristic corporations are wont to make their fonts.
MIV: 7.94
Recommended: Use with kerning and antialiasing turned ON!
8x8 pixel art generator. It can be used to draw at any size once you understand how it works. Feel free to write your own scripts/code to automatically draw with this!
Glyphs are mapped to pixels as follows:
456789,.
wxyz0123
opqrstuv
ghijklmn
YZabcdef
QRSTUVWX
IJKLMNOP
ABCDEFGH
ABCDEFGH will make a horizontal line at the bottom edge, HPXfnv3. would make a vertical line on the right edge, and so on.
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- INSTRUCTIONS -
Type to draw! See the sample for an example of how I do it.
1 space = 1px of spacing. Use 8 spaces to start a new block and 16 spaces to start a second block which is 8px away from the first. This fine space exists to allow any sort of pixel art to be drawn within an infinitely large "canvas".
- COMING SOON -
A guide to preparing any text for PixelGen 8x8 (I'm figuring this out now!)
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If you draw something with this font, feel free to show it off in a comment. This is an unusual way to draw, but it has many unforeseen potential uses!
One form of beauty in this type of art is that your code IS the art. And, the code and art are yours to recreate and modify endlessly as you desire, all without ever having to draw, save/load files, or even touch an image editor.
Have fun!
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- PREDRAWN ART -
(To see them, copy them, scroll up and use View -> "User Input" -> Ctrl+V)
1. 8x8 Black Square: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789,.
2. 16x16 Black Square: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789,. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789,.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789,. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789,.
3. 8x8 Circle: CDEFJOQXYfgnovx26789
4. 8x8 Square Border: ABCDEFGHIPQXYfgnovw3456789,.
5. 8x8 Chessboard: ACEGJLNPQSUWZbdfgikmprtvwy02579.
6. 8x8 Sword: ABEIJKLMRSTZacghjlsu13,.
7. 8x8 Smiley Face: CDEFJOQSTUXYdfgiknoqsvx26789
8. 8x8 Rosary: DLSTUbehiklnovw356789,
9. 8x8 Cartoon Bomb: BCDEFGIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnpqrstuz089,
10. 8x8 Microscope: ABCDEFGHLMRSTUVWYZaghkostwz015678
11. 8x8 Bomberman: BCFGKNQSTUVXZabcdegilnoqtvw356789,
12. 8x8 Slime: BCDEFGIJKLMNOPQRWXYZabcdefghjkmnprsuyz0178
13. 8x8 Double Stars: EGMNOTUVWXdhjpqrwxyz06
14. 8x8 Brick Wall: ABCDEFGHIMQRSTUVWXaeghijklmnoswxyz01236,
15. 8x8 Floppy Disk: BCDEFGIKLMNPQSTUVXYfgijknoqsvwy0256789
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- WORK IN PROGRESS -
A font for making hexagonal grids and maps.
You can make a map which is infinitely wide and up to 6 rows tall. This will increase to 26 rows tall once I figure out why the spacing breaks down after 6. Once this problem is solved, I'll begin adding setpieces and more tile variations!
13SEP2018: I never did figure out a way to stop the spacing from breaking down. No matter where I place the 7th row or how I alter the spacing, it's always out of place...
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- INSTRUCTIONS -
Type starting with a or A, then b or B, up through fF, to build a column.
Once the map is as tall as you want it, repeat these letters to make the next column.
Use UPPER CASE to create land/floors and lower case to create water/walls.
"A" or "a" must be present in each sequence and each letter must be in its proper place and order for the map to generate properly. Making of irregular maps is possible, but it takes some cleverness to get them to look even. This problem seems to be insurmountable, sorry!
Use six spaces to create a void with the same width as a hex...
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- MAPS TO TRY -
(Copy one, scroll up to the preview & use View -> "User Input" -> Ctrl+V)
1. Plains: ABCDEFABCDEFABCDEFABCDEFABCDEFABCDEFABCDEF
2. River & Pond: ABCDEFabcdEFABCDefABCDEFABcdEFAbcDEFABCDEF
3. Small Maze: aBCdeFABCDEfabcDEfABcdEfaBCDEFabcDefABCdEf
4. Honeycomb: AbCdEfABCDEFAbCdEfABCDEFAbCdEfABCDEFAbCdEf
5. Space: abcdefabcdEfabcdefaBCDefaBCDefabCdefabcdef
6. Coastline: abcdefABcdefABCdefABCDefABCDEfABCDEFABCDEF
7. Stripes: abcdefABCDEFabcdefABCDEFabcdefABCDEFabcdef
8. Broken Terrain: ABA ACDFABCDEFABEABCDEF
9: Yin Yang: AbcdefAbcDefAbcdefABcDefABCDEfABcDEfABCDEf
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Using antialiasing broke the tile arrangements in my graphics software. You may be luckier, but I recommend having both antialiasing and kerning turned OFF.
Have fun!
Fontstruct's first vacuum tube font!
This is a design inspired by Nixie tubes. Since these "tubes" are iconographic, they could theoretically represent 12AX7s, 6L6s, KT88s, or whatever tube/valve you wanted. Feel free to clone and build on this concept.
24-segment display. This one belongs to a small family called Calculatrix.
Like Calculatrix 12, this one is spaced so that every segment appears in its proper place, as if the text were being rendered on one giant display. (If using this in your own software, you will want to check the line spacing as it can vary depending on the software.)
I suppose this font could be used for weaving or embroidery work, as well... it has that look about it...
TIP: Try zooming out while already at Pixel size!
Calculator font with a 7-segment display. This should bring many of you back to school, but in a good way, I hope.
This one belongs to a small family called Calculatrix.
I've allowed "MWmw+" to break the grid because they were impossible to render otherwise...
Did/do you ever use oldschool calculators to write funny messages? Post your best calculator words in a comment! :D
An experimental 12-segment display, and my 100th published Fontstruction. It's the calculator of yesterday's future!
This one belongs to a small family called Calculatrix.
This font is monospaced to ensure segments are always where they "should" be (as if the text were printed on one giant display).
3x3 cipher, based on version 0.3 of "Micromaze". It uses its own form of binary notation for the numerals, wherein the upper-right 4 pixels play the role of the 1, 2, 4, and 8.
This is the smallest font in which I was able to give a unique symbol to every glyph (excluding the lower/upper case, which look the same). It reads sort of like Pigpen Cipher, but is more densely written.
Since MMC is obscure and of constant width/height, it serves many "gibberish" and "placeholder text" purposes in addition to being a modestly strong cipher.
Original size: 2pt (use multiples of this value for pixel perfection)
Experimental 2x4 font. Not the most legible, but maybe useful as a cipher. It requires some contextual knowledge of what you are reading for the best result.
Original size: 6pt (use multiples of this value for pixel perfection)
A well-known font from Duke Nukem 3D which is used in screens, menus, and placeable ingame sprites. This font came in two versions: "big" and "small". Both versions only have uppercase, so I put the small variant on the lowercase.
Since the original was a bitmap font which used multiple colors, I stuck to drawing the outlines. This lets you color them in how you like.
The small variant has its own symbols and numerals as well; most are already in this font, replacing the empty spaces left by the big variant. (Neither one has a complete symbol set, so I merged the best ones together.)
Original size: 10.5pt (use multiples of this value for pixel perfection)
An attempt to produce a low-resolution pixel font which generates mazes from arbitrary strings of text. It requires the use of negative line spacing (available only to certain software) to look right without hand-editing.
The mazes it produces aren't the best, but they are definitely interesting! I might just call this a cipher and be done with it...
A very stubborn version of "Gumshoe" which insists on its purity of design even as it handicaps itself with that purity. It has no curves whatsoever and is slightly more open than the original. All of these facts are traits of the character for whom this font is used. :D
(I know many of the serifs don't join properly with the lines. That is part of the aesthetic. It's slightly wonky - just like some royals.)
This is a clone of GumshoeAnother brickswap of Marengi. This one will be programmed into actual marquee displays, some physical and some software-based. If only the glow of the LEDs could be simulated with bricks!
Original size: 11pt (use multiples of this value for pixel perfection)
This is a clone of MarengiThe "gremoji" symbols used in Virtual Gremlin. These are spoken to the player by those Gremlins who are not intelligent enough to form words, and can be used to guage the Gremlins' moods.
Original size: 21pt (use multiples of this value for pixel perfection)
I attempted a blackletter style without any knowledge or references. The result reminds me of a vampire's writing!
The name "Dethzmezenger / Death's Messenger" comes from one of many old joke bands which I created.
Original size: 17.25pt (use multiples of this value for pixel perfection)
A font which appears in "Defender/Joust" (1995) on Game Boy. This font is complete within the ROM, so only the original characters are included.
This font is used for Defender's menus and gameplay.
The placement of glyphs within the individual 8x8 tiles suggests that this font is meant to be monospaced. I've squinted at this one long enough... it looks right to me! :D
A font which appears in "Defender/Joust" (1995) on Game Boy. This font is incomplete within the ROM, so many letters and symbols were added for accessibility.
This font is used for Joust, although the numbers which actually appear ingame have their own look which is very different to these.
A cipher/code used by the Kibble Cabal, a mostly animal-based team of misfits and food thieves in the game Trap Farmer Brer Brah. This code is very similar in application to the "Hobo Code" from the United States in the late 1800s. It makes a pretty good cipher, as well!
Original size: 8pt (use multiples of this value for pixel perfection)
A design made to have long legs. The mild optical illusion this font creates was a happy coincidence!
I changed the name to "Taller Tales" since it seems that many fonts called "Tall Tales" actually exist...
Original size: 40pt (use multiples of this value for pixel perfection, or use in combination with antialiasing)
This is used in Virtual Gremlin for instances when the Gremlins/'pets' speak. Since Gremlins are literal glitch creatures and not the best at communication (and since 5x4 is a very odd size), some letters are turned and others are split. This lends the font some use as a weak cipher.
Technically, Gremlin 5x4 is also a conlang. Every glyph has associated sounds which are unique to the Gremlins speaking them. I call this conlang "Glitch English". Perhaps, now that I have this font ready-made, I can set about making a dictionary. :^)
Original size: 6pt (use multiples of this value for pixel perfection)
Bold variant of Ticketmeister.
Original size: 14.25pt (use multiples of this value for pixel perfection)
This is a clone of TicketmeisterA multi-line design which is slightly reminescent of mazes/fingerprints. It's not designed to create functional mazes, but it is somewhat capable!
"Absinthelyric Print" is an anagram for "Labyrinthine Script".
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Original size: 11.25pt. Use multiples of this value for pixel perfection. (If you use antialiasing, it will look perfect at most any size.)
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Design rules:
1. Square bricks and 90-degree angles only.
2. Alphabetic glyphs must have open terminals; numerals and symbols must have closed terminals. Letters which do not terminate (D,O, etc.) must be broken so that they terminate.
3. Glyphs must fill the 15x15 grid.
4. Ligatures and combinatorial glyphs must fit into one letter's space.
5. Draw from the outside in.
A grunged-up/faded Gumshoe. Made to be used at smaller sizes for a faded & distressed look. It can be used with or without antialiasing, and will generate many optical effects which look like grunge or sponge brushes. It also has a bit of an "ink flow" effect where serifs overflow a bit into each other (see "S", "2", etc.).
Check out the Pixel view!
This is a clone of Gumshoe