Wikipedia:Typeface list task force

This task force is an offshoot of the WikiProject Typography, created to improve articles related to typeface lists as well as the lists. This page lists some references and techniques to improve the articles, feel free to add more.

Purpose

• Create all possible missing articles for each type of typefaces
• Improve existing articles from Stub-class to Start-class
  • Implementing corresponding infoboxes
  • Creating and sorting images for each typeface
  • Categorizing and organizing accordingly
• Wikify and cleanup of old articles
  • Upgrade to A-class, GA, B+ or at least C-class the most notable typeface articles (like Times New Roman)
• Upgrade existing lists (also with images)
• Post new sources or references for more articles (both here and in the proper articles), check current references in older articles

Participants

• ☩Damërung ☩. -- 19:49, 18 October 2009 (UTC)
• Hi Balloon Boy (talk) 20:44, 18 October 2009 (UTC)
• --DThomsen8 (talk) 21:52, 18 October 2009 (UTC)
• Я£ΙИӺΘЯСΣĐᴙᶕᵻᴎᵮᴓᴚᴐᶒᵯɘᴎᴛᶊ (talk) 22:18, 18 October 2009 (UTC)
• Capitol3CApitol3 (talk)
• OrangeDog (τ • ε) 22:36, 19 October 2009 (UTC)
• GU!TARH3R0CHR!ST0PHER _-= 01:58, 20 October 2009 (UTC)
• Typehigh (talk) 14:29, 21 October 2009 (UTC)
• The Anome (talk) 02:27, 28 October 2009 (UTC)
• WikiNC 17.02, 15, November 2009 (UTC)
• S Masters (talk) 08:36, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
• Anna Comnena (talk) 14:38, 27 October 2010 (UTC)

Procedures & resources

Here will be posted some references and procedures (or tips) which may help in the improvement of typeface articles:

Imaging

The SVG file format is preferred for typeface samples. Inkscape is a free program that can be used to create them. (If you can't create SVGs for some reason, please don't upload the images in JPEG format or any other which contains compression artefacts).

For each font, the following images should be created:

1. The one displaying the name of the font, with no background and black text. Example
2. The other displaying the pangram "The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over The Lazy Dog" (which shows all letters in English alphabet), in three rows, with all words with first letter capitalized, left aligned, with a "g (lower case)" (preferentially) right aligned occupying all three rows and a final line below in a smaller size containing all letters and numbers with no space, and some symbols (parenthesis, diagonals, question mark, and as long as they fit (these spaced)). Example.
3. Another final one containing several stuff:

- Upper part:

1. The name of the font left-aligned (different color from the rest of the text usually, but not necessary (if different, with low variation))
2. Two rows of three pairs of letters, each pair of the same letter, but in different capitalization
3. The letter "a" (preferentially) in a size occupying both previous rows, right-aligned and different text color
4. A random word (no matter the language as long as it uses Latin alphabet), right aligned and usually in different color

- Lower part:

1. Two rows showing all the letters in order (spaced), first row ending in letter "m", left-aligned
2. One last row showing all the numbers, right aligned, different color and also spaced

- Example.

After creating these images as SVGs, upload them to commons and place them in the proper section.

A clear example can be seen in here. The second image must not have a longer bottom line than the big ones, and the separation between the pangram and the g must be similar with all images (not much). Only the third must have background, the first and second must not, also, those two are the only ones narrow cropped. The third picture has a two color combination in which the upper part color should be lighter than the lower part color. The color choice for this last image is to the user, but must not be annoying to eye, rather discrete and accordingly (in a subjective way) to the typeface. All images must have a good size (resolution). Example.

The third-type of image should be used in the info box instead (preferentially) unless the article is a very short stub, in which case, the second-type of image is used instead, the other two shall be placed in the sample list. When placing the series of images, be sure of whether it´s the proper list to be placed in (serif, mono spaces, script, etc.)

For display and simulation typefaces, the article shall not be created (usually), but instead, only the images in the corresponding list.

Don´t forget to categorize each picture and / or article properly.

Listing

In the lists, either the list of fonts or any of the Samples of [insert type here] typefaces, thare may be a font that should not be there (in that category type), but in other one. You can help by checking if it is in the right place (or if there is any missing) and if not, place it correctly (or you can come across one without directly checking). Also, when creating a new font or font image, make sure to place it in its correct type, sub-type and category.

To know which type of font it belongs, you can read the articles about that type of typeface (like: Serif, Sans serif, Monospaced, Script, Blackletter, etc...). There you can find the characteristics that the font must meet to be that type and subtype. But here is a quick overview of those:

- Serif: Stroke ends in the edge of the letters called "serifs", in the "A" for example, those are the 'feet' of the letter which ends in pad rather than a single stick, for more graphic understanding, see this picture. Check the classifications for sub-types.
- Sans serif: These lack of that decoration at the end of the letters, having only the single regular lines that form the letter and nothing else, see this image for graphical explanation. Check the classifications for sub-types.
- Monospaced: This font is basically characterized by the only-size for the length of each letter´s space; all characters occupy the same width. To identify which font belongs to this classification, if the third image has the same length (wide) for the two rows of three pairs of letters (central-left part), then it´s monospaced.
- Script: The script type is characterized for the handwriting and/or special stylization which makes it look similar to cursive writing. This font type is subdivided mainly in brush script, handwriting, calligraphic (or formal) and special scripts.
- Blackletter: This kind of typeface contains very special 'gothic' or 'old style' characteristics peculiar to this font. For a better understanding, see the article and the images within it (and sub-classifications).
- Non-latin:Which does not use latin alphabet.
- Unicode: This typefaces have the characteristic that their letters and characters belong to the Universal Character Set; some typefaces have other characters of the U.C.S. omitted by another typeface.
- Symbol: Symbols and icons.
- Miscellaneous: Special typefaces that does not fit in another category (think and review very carefully before placing one into this class).
- Display: The most notable characteristic in this series of typefaces is that they´re made for display in bigger sizes than normal, often used for decorative purposes. Original layout.
- Simulation: Very similar in ornamental function to the display typefaces, only that these ones use symbols from other alphabet or writing system to represent graphically the latin alphabet. See example images.

Place the typeface class and subclassification carefully.

References

Currently, there are several useful references for information and image creation help (feel free to add more):

• Identifont (information about most regular typefaces)
• ITC fonts (the same as above)
• MyFonts (information and image creation helper) *
• Urbanfonts (image creation, mostly for display and simulation typefaces) *
• Font bureau (information in a fixed databank of fonts)
• Typedia (a shared encyclopedia of typefaes)

In the two references marked with [*], there is a preview pane in which color of both the font and background can be changed, this can help in creating the images when certain typeface is missing in someone´s computer (most times, not fair image by raw screenshots from the website, but downloading the font, for which the preview pane helps). In short, all these references help in obtaining information and images (any of the three types) to the articles and lists.

Current scope

For cleanup, expanding and creation edits:

• List of typefaces - Verify if all the fonts are in their respective place (monospaced, serif, display, etc.).
• Samples of typefaces - Organizing and importing new images for all the samples of fonts:
  • Samples of serif typefaces
  • Samples of sans serif typefaces
  • Samples of monospaced typefaces
  • Samples of script typefaces
  • Samples of display typefaces
  • Samples of simulation typefaces
• Image conversion - All existing raster font samples should be replaced with SVG versions. /Images needing conversion.
• Missing typeface articles (red links) - Creating a missing article if enough information is collected through the posted references and/or through others (don´t forget to properly categorize).
• Current articles - Wikify and upgrade existing articles, also check references
• Assessment - Give the correct assessment to each article in both the class and the importance for the typography wikiproject when putting the template {{WikiProject Typography}} (look at the template's documentation to see which parameters should be used).
• Classification - Check and place the proper classification for each typeface carefully in both the articles (in the infobox) and the lists (in the samples list). For example, Chaparral would be of serif category, under the subclassification of slab serif.

Templates

1. {{Infobox font}} - Main infobox for fonts
2. {{typ-stub}} - For stub-class, recently created articles that need expansion
3. {{WikiProject Typography}} - For the talk page of the articles to place them under the wikiproject scope
4. {{Font list item}} - For formatting lists of font samples

Category:Wikipedia collaborations