Am I the only one?

[eahicks]

For many fonts/typefaces, I find that the symbols, such as parentheses, hyphens, and other characters are too low.....I tend to always edit my text in signage and raise them all up, especially parentheses and hyphens. Anyone else go to this trouble? It irks me when I see someone else's layouts and other signage that wasn't ever tweaked. And why do so many fonts have them set this way?

 

[Billct2]

Yep, also numerals. Not to mention kerning.

 

[Gino]

I'm always editing that stuff. Rare occasions, I let it go. There are also some fonts in where the numbers seem to use different base lines. I will edit them quite often also.

Another pet peeve is, when the numbers for a font are much smaller than the lettering. I usually make them larger, too.


I understand these things were designed with that in mind, but it doesn't always suit my needs...... or eye.

 

[eahicks]

Yes, the number too....seems all the Helv/Swiss fonts are like that. I had an owner years ago I worked for that was super anal about this stuff and would take a printout and with a ruler draw lines to make sure the numbers, letters, etc ALL lined up top and bottom.

 

[Ultimate13]

I was just doing this on a layout the other day and was going to post here asking this exact question. We do it on almost all of our designs. It gets tedious at times but i just can't let it go out without fixing it.

 

[myront]

Thank goodness there are more people out there that can recognize the need. Kind of a pet peeve of mine. "Why didn't they fix the spacing on that"!
Almost every font needs tweaked in one way or another for sign layouts.

 

[Jillbeans]

Always. I can't stand when people don't take the time to tweak things like this, even on a plain old FOR SALE sign. It's going that extra step to make your work stand out.
I even draw my own things or rebuild using parts of other fonts.
Love....Jill

 

[trakers]

Annoys the heck outta me. Fix them all the time.

 

[gabagoo]

I always see trucks driving around town and I really hate Arial and figure so many people use it because it is probably the first San Serif font that pops up in whatever software they design in. What I really dislike about the font are the numbers. No matter what the kerning of the number 1 is always way out and nobody ever seems to fix it. I am surprised that so many people allow it to look this way on their vehicles and everything else they have printed

 

[mark-s]

Editing typeface is the sign of pro vs non pro
I always edit.

mark-s

 

[ChaseO]

I can handle moving the - and () up, but the smaller numbers than type drive me nuts. I do a lot of directional signage and fixing the kerning and size of numbers takes precious time. I have noticed that some of the Letter Head fonts have the correct kerning for the 1 for instance, but Arial, Helvetica, and Swiss fonts that I need for jobs like inserts just take time.

 

[The Vector Doctor]

If you use Illustrator there is a function in the spacing with options for optical and auto. The bottom sample here shows optical which is a bit better and tightens up the extra spacing that always shows up around the number 1

You still have to tweak sometimes but it helps if you are not too picky

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

Yes, the number too....seems all the Helv/Swiss fonts are like that. I had an owner years ago I worked for that was super anal about this stuff and would take a printout and with a ruler draw lines to make sure the numbers, letters, etc ALL lined up top and bottom.

So did you used to go in and change all the O's U's Q's S's So that the rounded top or bottom didn't go above or below the other letters. That is pretty ridiculous.

 

[J Hill Designs]

So did you used to go in and change all the O's U's Q's S's So that the rounded top or bottom didn't go above or below the other letters. That is pretty ridiculous.

...not to mention incorrect

 

[eahicks]

So did you used to go in and change all the O's U's Q's S's So that the rounded top or bottom didn't go above or below the other letters. That is pretty ridiculous.

Oh good god no....just lining up baseline on everything....mostly adjusting number heights.....round letters stayed in their place.