I’ve been playing around with Fontstruct actively for a few months and love the application. I saw this snippet on their blog today and think it’s an amazing idea.
Among many possible topics we are specially interested in the use of FontStruct for education in type design.
FontStruct is great for education because it’s free, it’s simple and it’s a lot of fun. It can be used on any computer with a modern browser and Internet access, independently of platform and without installation of additional software. FontStruct stimulates sharing and collaboration, while respecting the creator’s right to decide about it. Users are presented with a set of flexible and familiar Creative Commons licenses to choose from. Peer-review, user votes and the sought after Top Picks complete the package that makes of FontStruct not just a tool, but an exciting environment for learning how to build fonts and design typefaces.
I think that design programs could use Fontstruct as a really effective part of the type education curriculum. Students could build their own alphabet, publish designs for peers to review, learn about licensing, examine designs from experienced designers. It’s free and students can access it from any home computer. And Fontstruct is very easy to use.
I think it’s a perfect way to get students of all ages to think more deeply about typography.