For the past seven years I have been independently maintaining the Type Foundry Directory. What started as a simple link to a spreadsheet that I created in an effort to overhaul my bookmarking system, has since become—what others have told me—an industry essential resource.

Today, things are a bit more complicated. The landscape of font licensing has changed drastically in recent years, and the directory’s original simplicity no longer fit my needs.

Now having read 400+ End User License Agreements, poured over countless FAQs, and even consulted for foundries, the directory has been completely overhauled with 3x more data and a refreshed design.

What’s new?

So much! Everything? Where do I even begin? The two highlights are:

• A refreshed design (of course)
• More data! New columns of information include:
  • Year founded
  • Countries
  • Language support
  • Purchasing Power Parity support
  • Licensing model(s)
  • General metric(s)
  • Web metric(s)
  • App metric(s)
  • Web tracking requirements
  • Designer covered by client license
  • Logo usage included (w/ desktop license)
  • Social media usage included (w/ desktop license)
  • Modifications allowed
  • Trial fonts character set
  • Student discount type
  • Platforms such as Fonts in Use, Future Fonts, RSS, Instagram, Mastodon, and Twitter

There is a roadmap which outlines all of the updates and upcoming plans (both short and long term). I have also published a lengthy methodology page which dives into the directory’s structure, how information is logged, and unpacks its underlying biases.

Sponsored nameplates

From research to development to maintenance, the directory has largely been an independent effort. I am introducing sponsored nameplates to help provide financial backing which allows me to allocate time, effort, and external resources to future developments.

And just like Morning Type, 5% of all income is donated and you can take a peek behind the curtain of the directory’s finances.

If you run a type foundry and are interested in supporting the project while promoting one of your fonts, you can learn more here.

Super top secret new project?

You may notice something in the header of the new site. A… typeface… directory…? Too good to be true? (Probably!) There is nothing to show for this yet, but you can join the waitlist at typeface.directory which admittedly is just this newsletter. So I guess you don’t need to?

Sharing is caring

Whether you are on Mastodon, Twitter, or Instagram, reshares are deeply appreciated. Or just tell a friend 🫶

Thank you for reading! And thank you to everyone that has shown their support for this project over the years. This update has been five years in the making, and I am excited to keep this project going.