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https://freedium-mirror.cfd/https://uxdesign.cc/how-monotype-turns-selling-fonts-into-daylight-robbery-aac8e29a7cde>
“To explain why I call Monotype "robbers", let me start with something that
struck me as very odd, and
it involves a country.
Back in 2022, I went on a deep dive into how Singapore created a logo for its
50th year of independence. It was an expensive project; they paid not only for
the logo design, but also millions of dollars to plaster it everywhere as part
of the celebrations.
Last year, they did the same thing for their 60th anniversary. The logo almost
looks the same, except for one thing.
They changed the font.
On the surface, that might sound like a trivial update. Companies change
typefaces all the time to "refresh" their branding. But this change is anything
but ordinary, because:
(1) The font on the updated logo (called Metropolis) is regarded as "inferior
in quality" to the font Gotham (used in the SG50 logo).
(2) The font company that owns Gotham (Hoefler & Co.) threatened legal action
against Metropolis' creator for making a typeface that looked too similar.
So why would the Singapore government decide to switch from a well‑made,
established commercial font to a free font that has been publicly criticised
and legally pressured?
There are no definitive answers. But it isn't hard to guess that the answer
involves money.
And probably
a filthy lot of it.”
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
