⚠️ Our database provider Supabase is currently having some technical issues. FontBase login might nor work for some users. We continue to monitor the situation and will update as soon as this is recolved.
For the latest FontBase update we were required to change our signing certificate for Windows. Unfortunately, this causes an error during the update.
If you are getting this error, please download a new version of FontBase from our website manually.
Introducing the FontMarket provider!
We've partnered up with FontMarket to bring you 2164 high quality fonts inside your favorite font manager. Subscribe and use the fonts in a single click, just like Google fonts.
Read more: fontba.se/blog/fontba...
Discover is now available in the latest FontBase release!
All new font releases from 60+ foundries across the globe, gathered on a single page, updated daily. Get to know about new fonts before everyone else. Free to join for any foundry.
Check it out: bit.ly/4p0Cl2m
Remember the IDEO font map? Well, it's gone and not available anymore for quite some time now.
But guess who's doing a better (hopefully) version of it?
3. Added Details tab. On that, you can copy information from the font "name" table, such as author, license, website, and more.
2. Improved Glyphs tab. Glyphs are now grouped by Unicode categories. You can search glyphs by name or by Unicode group name. Also, tab performance with many glyphs is much faster now.
Font family page updates in FontBase! Here's what you may have missed:
1. Improved style selection. The select dropdown is now on top of the page. Double clicking a style now navigates to the Waterfall tab directly.
We have a NEW logo!
Currently we're working on an updated Glyphs page in FontBase. It will have glyph search, Unicode groups displayed, and work faster with lots of glyphs.
What features would you like to see on the new Glyphs page?
20th century: Sans-serif fonts emerged (no serifs, even thickness). Phototypesetting in the 1960s revolutionized production, leading to today's digital typography.
Evolution continued: Transitional types (17th century) added more contrast, Baskerville's sharp forms were "shocking" in the 1700s, then came Baroque variations mixing roman & italic on same lines.
Renaissance brought vertical stems, circular bowls & crisp serifs. Aldus Manutius introduced italic type in 1495 to save space. Claude Garamond's famous typeface from the 1530s is still widely used today.
1440: Gutenberg's printing press changed everything. His Bible used Gothic typeface, but Roman letters inspired by classical inscriptions soon emerged. Nicolas Jenson created one of the first balanced Roman typefaces in Venice ~1470.
Medieval monks became scribes, evolving letters from rounded "uncial" shapes to sharp Carolingian minuscule under Charlemagne. Then came dense, angular Blackletter (Gothic script) - beautiful but hard to read.
A really short history of type. 🧵
Roman letters started as inscriptions carved in stone in 8th century BC. Romans adapted the Greek alphabet, creating the foundation for all Western scripts. These early letters had thick/thin strokes & serifs - still influencing type today.
Some italics don't even slope! Structure matters more than angle. Quadraat has upright italics. It's about that flowing, cursive DNA from Renaissance scribes.
⚠️ Most "italics" today are fake! Helvetica "Italic" is just slanted Helvetica. Real examples: Adobe Garamond Pro, Mrs Eaves, Dante - each hand-drawn with cursive structure.
Francesco Griffo's 1499 italic had 70+ ligatures (letters tied together like 'ffi'). True italics are 5-10% narrower than their roman partners and sit compactly.
📐 Real italics slope 7-20° and have "transitive serifs" - strokes that show the pen flowing from letter to letter, like Renaissance calligraphy from 1500s Italy.
A small thread about italics
Oi, a thread about italics! 🧵👇
True italics aren't just slanted text! They're completely redrawn typefaces with cursive structure, like handwriting. Compare a true italic 'a' vs roman 'a' - totally different shapes.
We're giving away the complete Murs Gothic font family with 57 styles worth $399 — fontba.se/giveaway/jun...
