Multimaster Optima?
Randy Troppmann
type for a sign for a building. The architect has specified Optima bold
that is compressed 50% horizontally. He is also calling for small caps in
some cases. I like using expert sets and hate squishing type, so if I
could buy the proper fonts I would be in better shape.
Randy Troppmann
rtro...@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca
Charles A. Bigelow
Randy Troppmann <rtro...@gpu2.srv.ualberta.ca> wrote:
>Does anyone know of a multimaster version of Optima. I'm try to set some
>type for a sign for a building. The architect has specified Optima bold
>that is compressed 50% horizontally. He is also calling for small caps in
>some cases. I like using expert sets and hate squishing type, so if I
>could buy the proper fonts I would be in better shape.
If Hermann Zapf had wanted Optima condensed 50%, he would have drawn it
condensed 50%. It seems to me that there is only one decent solution to your
problem.
Set the sign in normal Optima, and ask the architect to expand the horizontal
aspect of the building 200%. Then the Optima will have the desired proportion
to the building. It should be easy if the architect is designing with a CAD
system - just re-set the parameter for the X-axis.
If, however, the building has already been constucted, and the architect
negelected to think about the signage until too late - oops - then it will be a
little more expensive to expand everything, so tell the architect to get in
touch with Hermann Zapf and commission a design of special condensed lettering
for the sign. Look under the Z's in the Darmstadt phone book. If the sign
doesn't have a complete alphabet in it, the architect could maybe get a
discount. It'll probably cost him less than he has spent on lunches and liquor
for his client.
Jon Pastor
already won hands down, but here's my entry anyway...
In article <3ajrav$b...@Radon.Stanford.EDU>, big...@Sunburn.Stanford.EDU (Charles A. Bigelow) writes:
|> In article <3ajcit$13...@quartz.ucs.ualberta.ca>,
|> Randy Troppmann <rtro...@gpu2.srv.ualberta.ca> wrote:
|> >Does anyone know of a multimaster version of Optima. I'm try to set some
|> >type for a sign for a building. The architect has specified Optima bold
|> >that is compressed 50% horizontally. He is also calling for small caps in
|> >some cases. I like using expert sets and hate squishing type, so if I
|> >could buy the proper fonts I would be in better shape.
|>
|> Set the sign in normal Optima, and ask the architect to expand the horizontal
|> aspect of the building 200%. Then the Optima will have the desired proportion
|> to the building. It should be easy if the architect is designing with a CAD
|> system - just re-set the parameter for the X-axis.
Another possibility: tell the architect to situate the building so that the
signs are only viewable from a 45-degree angle; I believe that this will
provide the correct proportions (approximately) for the letters. Of course,
you'll have to set the type in increasing point sizes, and he'll have to
redesign the building so that it gets larger as it recedes into the distance
(from every possible angle), to keep the letters the same apparent size. If he
needs help doing this, I believe that M.C. Escher had a couple of students.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jon A. Pastor pas...@vfl.paramax.com
Charles A. Bigelow
Jon,
I've duly noted your entry in my contest. I'll leave the choosing of the
winning entries to the judges, but I should point out that neither I nor anyone
in my family nor any of my employees are eligible, though of course you can win
based on something stupid I have said. ;-)
Turning now to the technical aspect of your clever solution, I would say that
your idea is a good one, but that the correct angle is 60 degrees. One can
intuitively see this by imagining that one is in Flatland, standing at the base
of an equilateral triangle and looking toward the opposite vertex. Either of
the opposite sides will subtend half of the base. A trigonometric way to
express it is that the cosine of 60 degrees is 0.5.
This is probably more geometry and trigonometry than the architect in question
is capable of, however, so maybe a call to Hermann Zapf would still be the best
solution.
-- Chuck Bigelow
Jon Pastor
|> Jon,
|>
|> I've duly noted your entry in my contest. I'll leave the choosing of the
|> winning entries to the judges, but I should point out that neither I nor anyone
|> in my family nor any of my employees are eligible, though of course you can win
|> based on something stupid I have said. ;-)
Or lose based on something stupid *I* have said. See below...
|> Turning now to the technical aspect of your clever solution, I would say that
|> your idea is a good one, but that the correct angle is 60 degrees. One can
|> intuitively see this by imagining that one is in Flatland, standing at the base
|> of an equilateral triangle and looking toward the opposite vertex. Either of
|> the opposite sides will subtend half of the base. A trigonometric way to
|> express it is that the cosine of 60 degrees is 0.5.
Oops.
As I hit the send button, my Trig Alarm (sort of like Peter Schickele's
Irrelevancy Alarm) had just started sounding, but I decided to ignore it.
Thank you for being so tactful in correcting this bit of innumeracy. And don't
tell my son...
**********
On another note, shouldn't the original poster (Randy Troppmann) get some
points for having excellent judgement? A lesser person might have just gotten
into Fontographer (or FontLab, Ted ;-) ) and cranked the "compression" control
down to 0.50; Randy wanted to know whether an experienced professional type
designer had tackled the problem.
Geoff S. Heinricks
Charles A. Bigelow,big...@Sunburn.Stanford.EDU,UseNet News writes:
If Hermann Zapf had wanted Optima condensed 50%, he would have drawn it
condensed 50%. It seems to me that there is only one decent solution to your
problem........[etc]........It'll probably cost him less than he has spent on
lunches and liquor
for his client.
YYYYEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOWW! MEDIC!
The appropriate response, but so horrible to see inflicted.
Geoff H
Jon Pastor
|>
|> Charles A. Bigelow,big...@Sunburn.Stanford.EDU,UseNet News writes:
|>
|> If Hermann Zapf had wanted Optima condensed 50%, he would have drawn it
|> condensed 50%. It seems to me that there is only one decent solution to your
|> problem........[etc]........It'll probably cost him less than he has spent on
|> lunches and liquor
|> for his client.
|>
|> YYYYEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOWW! MEDIC!
You mean "CORONER!" Naah, the cause of death would be obvious: how about
"UNDERTAKER!!"
;-)