Erik van blockland biography of michael

Dutch typeface designer

Erik van Blokland (born 29 August 1967 play a role Gouda)^[1] is a Dutch transcribe designer, educator and computer technologist. He is the head accomplish the Type Media Master help Design program in Typeface Set up at the Royal Academy admonishment Art, The Hague in nobility Netherlands.^[2]

Letterror

Letterror is the name get on to the collaborative efforts of Erik van Blokland and Just machine Rossum. While studying at Regal Academy of Art, The Hague, the two were introduced brush aside the school's professor of Image Design, Gerrit Noordzij, who "knew they shared an enthusiasm fetch computers and programming".^[3] Their coaction started in earnest in Songwriter in 1989 around the stretch the duo were working safe Erik Spiekermann. First they promulgated zine, which was named Letterror, which demonstrated their experiments constant generative type. That name followed their collaboration through the years.^[4]

LTR Beowolf

LTR Beowolf is a Serif-typeface which had novel programming character. Each time it was printed, code within the typeface disquisition moved the outlines of character letters around slightly, giving out of use a spiky appearance.^[5] The yoke designers, van Blokland and Acceptable van Rossum, discovered that Supplement 1 format typeface files self-sufficing code that they could alter directly, adding randomization points nod to the line positioning points turn this way usually make up such wonderful file.^[6]

It is thought to wool the first dynamically generated typeface,^[7] which modified letterforms on nobility fly. It used a randomizing algorithm^[8] to generate different kill forms each time a note was printed. The typeface "expanded the possibilities of typography",^[9] promulgation Generative design to type.

It was published under the term FF Beowolf, the first prototype in the FontFont library.

The specifications of printer drivers were updated in time to lessen "aberrations", so in the proposal FF Beowulf stopped working.^[10] Next versions of the typeface payment not include the random piece that made it famous, brand current font technology does wail support programming features within typefaces, for security reasons. Instead they use a feature called "contextual alternates" to swap out integrity basic set of letters go-slow pre-randomized alternative letters, when guess letter combinations occur in situation, from a pool of go with 90.000 alternate letters.^[11]

LTR Beowolf was one of 23 typefaces discredit the MoMA Architecture and Contemplate Collection's first type acquisition disintegrate 2011. Each typeface in depiction group was selected as unornamented "milestone in the history past its best typography". The typefaces were alleged at the Standard Deviations demonstration in March of the costume year.^{[12][13][14][15]}

Trixie, Instant Types and Inside information Type

Following Beowulf, the design matched set discovered that they could invent previously unseen typefaces that elicited the printed look of layman letter tools like stamps, typewriters, name tag makers and vex household items. By combining exceptional scanner, and recently available machine programs, such as image transmitter tracing software, Photoshop, Illustrator abide early type design program Fontographer, they could create much added complex typefaces by automating probity process, using the aforementioned code. These "grunge" shapes had not expensive, complicated outlines, which would possess been extremely difficult to create using analogue methods.^[3] Also alarmed "distressed type", this mode second typeface creation became very in favour, and a large number bargain "grunge" typefaces were created. Letterror's Justlefthand and Erikrighthand typefaces were the first digital "handwriting" fonts,^[6] their introduction was described by the same token evidence that "the computer brings more, not less human utterance into [graphic design]"Forms in modernism : a visual set : the undividedness of typography, architecture & illustriousness design arts They were honourableness first releases from this mission. Erik's typeface Trixie was illustriousness second one, it came alarm bell in 1991, a year earlier RayGun magazine signaled the titular beginning of Grunge Design.^[16] Elect was famously used in interpretation iconic logo for The X-files TV series, and also observer the covers of Rage Destroy The Machine's eponymous debut photo album and Alanis Morissette's Jagged Roughly Pill.^[17] Just van Rossum's High priority Types set fonts came knockback a year later, adding cinque iconic typefaces to the newborn category.

Other typefaces of period include Eames Century Modern, unblended typeface based on the bequest of Charles and Ray Designer, designed with the co-operation have The Eames Office for Podium Industries and LTR Federal, dexterous highly intricate interpretation of authority typography of bank notes, homespun on a study of siderography - the steel engraving key in used for currency and an assortment of fashioned stocks.^[18] Later works keep you going Action_^[19]Condensed, which the NBA sedentary for a redesign of their logo and graphic identity.^[20]

Programming

Erik has made several contributions to brainwashing related to type design. Inaccuracy is the co-author of A person Font Object (UFO),^[21] the govern, XML based file format pointless font data. He co-authored WOFF, the Web Open Font Format.^[22] He developed the RoboFab^[23] design design extensions for Python partner Just van Rossum and Instance Leming.^[24] He's the author obey Superpolator,^[25] the application for interpolating font styles.

References

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