Font Aid III: a Call to Action

Government agencies and United Nations sources estimate the December 26, 2004, Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunamis have claimed the lives of over 170,000 people, while more than 125,000 remain missing. According to World Health Organization statistics, at least an additional half million people were injured and five million were displaced or left without adequate access to basic necessities and essential services. This tragedy, one of the worst natural disasters in modern times, necessitates immediate and ongoing aid to those left homeless, hungry, and struggling to rebuild and recover from great losses.

The Society of Typographic Aficionados (SOTA) and Building Letters have joined forces in Font Aid III, a project uniting the typographic and design communities in raising funds to expedite relief efforts in the affected countries. Everyone is encouraged to help the cause by purchasing Font Aid III charity-ware fonts and publications, and spreading the word to friends and colleagues. Thanks to the many businesses and individuals who are joining in this effort!

Font Aid III: Fleurons of Hope, a Collaborative Typeface

Type and graphic designers and other artists from around the world were invited to contribute artwork as part of a typeface created exclusively for the Font Aid III effort. Dutch designer Max Kisman, contributor to past Building Letters and SOTA projects, developed the font’s concept—a collection of fleurons (also known as flowers or printers’ flowers). Much like the poppy, which has become a symbol for honoring the dead and assisting the living victims of war, Font Aid’s typographic flowers will serve as a symbol of remembrance and hope; a respectful tribute to those who have lost their lives; a helping hand extended to the survivors; and a reminder of the awesome power of nature.

More than 220 designers worldwide submitted over 400 glyphs for the collaborative typeface, including Bob Aufuldish, Phil Baines, Peter Bilak, Matthew Carter, Chank Diesel, John Downer, Ed Fella, Verena Gerlach, Yanek Iontef, Jeffery Keedy, Barbara Klunder, Alessio Leonardi, Miles Newlyn, and Sumner Stone. Jim Lyles of Bitstream produced the complex typeface on behalf of Font Aid III.

Fleurons of Hope is now available for sale at MyFonts, with all proceeds going to Direct Relief International. The font is also bundled with the Building Letters Tsunami Edition. SOTA, a US-based non-profit, is acting as a non-partisan organizing body to help coordinate the effort and ensure all funds are distributed appropriately.

Click here for a complete list of designers who contributed glyphs for Fleurons of Hope.

Font Aid: a New “Foundry” at MyFonts

A new charitable “umbrella foundry” was created expressly for the purpose of allowing existing MyFonts foundries to donate the royalties from specific font sales for a month to Direct Relief International. MyFonts absorbed its internal costs, including banking fees, so that 100% of the proceeds could go to charity on behalf of the tsunami victims. Click here for a list of participating foundries and fonts that were available for sale. Thanks go to the MyFonts-distributed foundries who participated; as of February 14, 2005, when the target period ended, over $12,500 had been raised through their font sales.

Building Letters: Tsunami Edition

Building Letters founder, UK-based designer Jim Richardson, received a call from Rathna Ramanathan of Reading University, who contributed to the second edition of the charity publication. Nathan had been in Sri Lanka when the Asian earthquake struck on Boxing Day. She called to ask for a special edition of Building Letters to raise funds to help the survivors. The project will will benefit fishermen in Kovalam, Tamil Nadu in southern India, and villages in northern and southern Sri Lanka.

As with previous issues, the tsunami edition of Building Letters is bundled with a CD of free fonts (including Fleurons of Hope) donated by designers and foundries worldwide. The magazine and font CD are limited to 1,000 copies, with all profits going to charity (Direct Relief International). The third Building Letters was produced in Prague under the direction of Filip Blazek, and is available now.

Font Aid III: Spreading the News

Below are find several link badges and banners that we invite you to place on your website to assist in spreading the word about the Font Aid III project. To display these images, please copy the file(s) to your hard drive, and place them in a directory on your own website, with a link to the following URL:

http://www.typesociety.org/fontaid.html

   





Please show your support for this charitable effort—we need your help. If you have questions or need further information, please contact SOTA.

Font Aid: a Brief History

Swedish type designer Claes Källarsson conceived of the initial Font Aid project in 1999. More than 25 type designers participated in designing a collaborative font, with proceeds going to UNICEF to help war and disaster refugees. In 2001, SOTA became involved when Stuart Sandler was inspired by Källarsson’s efforts and initiated Font Aid II. This second collaborative charitable typeface was created to benefit the victims of the September 11 tragedies in the US. The font was made up of almost 100 question mark glyphs contributed by designers from over 20 countries. With your support, Font Aid can continue its efforts to assist others in dire need of aid.