Bean Counter 2.0: Beyond the Numbers

I’m only about thirty (30) minutes into the eighty- (80-) minute documentary film Helvetica by Gary Hustwit, but I must confess that it is fascinating to me even though I’m not a designer and relatively inartistic. The film is about one typeface, typography, graphic design, and visual culture. I can’t wait to see the second half (for those who know me, I’m serious, not being sarcastic).

The other thing that amazes me about fonts is the way that many people, especially in the design community, forget or choose to ignore that fonts are valuable pieces of creative work encapsulated in software, and as such require a license for use.

First you need to understand the difference between a typeface and a font, because in the U.S. scalable fonts are protected by copyright and typefaces are not. But beware, a typeface may be protected by a patent. FYI, in Europe, as well as other countries, the typeface is protected as well as the font.

A typeface is a set of one or more fonts (a set of letters, numbers, or other symbolic characters), in one or more sizes, with consistently applied design elements.

A font is the physical representation or embodiment of the typeface, which today is software.

The following excerpts from Adobe and Linotype’s agreements respectively confirm what you may not want to hear (fonts are just like any other piece of software):

“Adobe and its suppliers own all intellectual property in the Software. The Software is licensed, not sold. Adobe permits you to copy, download, install, use, or otherwise benefit from the functionality or intellectual property of the Software only in accordance with the terms of this agreement.”

“Upon full payment of the agreed-upon usage fee, Linotype GmbH grants the licensee the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to simultaneously use or store the Font Software—provided said software has been released at time of delivery or upon payment made by the licensee—on a maximum of five (5) computers (workstations) at one single geographical location stipulated by the licensee.”

Microsoft has a separate section on their Web site addressing typography and fonts that states in the FAQ section, “The fonts are governed by the same restrictions as the products they are supplied with. You are not allowed to copy, redistribute or reverse engineer the font files.”

Here are a few font tips:

• Purchase fonts from reliable sources (Adobe, Linotype, Font Haus, House Industries).
• Avoid fonts on shareware Web sites.
• Don’t “borrow” fonts from your friends.

Just remember, type designers are just like you and me—they have to work for a living. Their work is creating new fonts. When someone gives away a piece of their work, they get nothing. Do you want to work for nothing?