Windsor – Font Evaluation Journal
Followers of this typeface are in a little bit of a bind in terms of digital interpretations. I don’t discover any of the present choices passable—every has downsides, and plenty of are remarkably poorly drawn. The Elsner+Flake model is likely one of the higher drawn choices, however the kern pairings are typically dreadful. The Monotype lower may be the very best one throughout, but it surely’s a low bar. Ensure you get in shut on extra delicate characters just like the “f’s” on all of the weights and examine the road high quality earlier than buying any model. Additionally, be sure that the household you buy has all of the variations of the household you need—not all variations embody the UltraHeavy Weight or the outlined model.
This makes utilizing Windsor on web sites tough, as a result of your choices for tszujing it to navigate the Tetris-esque finesse required to make it really feel intentional turn out to be way more restricted. Pet food model Porter & Friends makes use of Windsor in its packaging and on its web site, and it received’t take you lengthy to come across some kern pairings you could possibly drive a truck via[47]. You’ll discover within the screenshot above that the “Ve” pairing in “Vegetable” is kerned in on the packaging, however the net kind has an sadly massive hole. Designer beware, use this on the internet at your individual danger.
Within the technique of researching this evaluation I used to be surprised by the aesthetic vary of the in-use that exists for Windsor. I’m unsure that it “works” as a typeface in the identical manner that Cooper feels comfy and fully self-realized regardless of its oddities. Windsor feels unfinished—a deluge of half-realized concepts and inconsistent guidelines bundled collectively in a fairly tough to wrangle package deal. However these odd specificities are a siren’s track to designers who can’t appear to give up this jumbled mess of a sort household. Most of the quirks of this typeface are additionally its strengths. Right here we’re, with lots of of examples over the previous century from designers courageous or silly sufficient to suppose they’ll tame the beast. Maybe it’s the extremities of the typeface, and the restrictions they pressure, which have introduced out the very best in these designers. Keep silly.