Dorling Kindersley publishes a whole range of books and interactive titles, of which Travel Guides make up a sizeable proportion. In the past, the print titles were produced using QuarkXpress, but in order to take advantage of modern type technologies, DK will use Adobe InDesign and its accompanying applications Illustrator and Photoshop in future. These applications make full use of OpenType, including typographic features and easy access to non-Western European languages by supporting Unicode.

Dalton Maag was asked to convert the existing PostScript Type 1 library to OpenType, and in the case of the standard fonts to expand the character set to full Latin-A Extended. This extended character set covers approximately 50 languages that use the Latin alphabet, including some African dialects. DK also use specialist fonts such as numbered bullet points. In order to allow easy access to these numbers, Dalton Maag engineered the fonts in such a way that when typing 123, for example, a bullet with the number 123 will appear automatically. Delete the 2 and the bullet will become 13.

Besides the font development, Dalton Maag also ensured that Dorling Kindersley’s End User Licences were all up-to-date. We worked closely with our partners at Linotype and Monotype to find the best possible licensing solution that not only benefits Dorling Kindersley but also ensures that all off-site freelancers have fully-legal access to the correct fonts.

Converting the library to OpenType was the right step to take for Dorling Kindersley. It means that production problems that arose when crossing platforms from Mac to PC are a thing of the past, as OpenType works seamlessly. It also means that the administration of fonts has become so much easier, since only one file per font needs to be taken care of.

Many of Dalton Maag’s own fonts have been available in OpenType format for some time, some with basic typographic features, but all of them with support for Western and Eastern European languages.

The Co font family

The two families of 'Co' are similar but different for each to fulfil its own tasks. They co-operate to create harmonious typography. Co Headline is modern, almost fashionable, with its geometric leanings, but compared to many other typefaces of the same style, Co Headline adds soft shapes that are inspired by nature and are a pleasure to look at. As it is with nature, there is nothing superfluous in this typeface. Each curve and each terminal is perfect for its purpose. Every character can stand its own ground, but it is when they come together that they form a unity, like a tree with its branches and its leaves. Three weights - Light, Regular, Bold - provide variety to allow the designer to create interesting textures of light and shade on the page.

Co Text is a close relative; it clearly has similar design features, but when a terminal is softened it is not for vanity or fashion, it serves a purpose. And when characters are differently shaped than in the Headline, it is to help legibility without breaking the family ties. Co Headline and Co Text do not co-exist, they co-operate. They are like an old couple, each with its foibles, but each with its strengths, supporting each other totally and unquestionably. Co Text also has three weights, perfect for interesting text typography. While Co Headline is for show and fashion, Co Text gives backstage support.

Co Headline and Co Text are available in OpenType format, supporting a full Latin-A Extended character set, covering approximately 50 languages using the Latin alphabet. The organic nature of Co means that it will grow in time; we will add an ornament font that will be free to everyone who purchases licences for the entire font family. We will expand the character set with alternate characters and additional language support. But like a tree, this growth will take time – we hope you’ll join us at the roots of Co.

Co is available exclusively from Dalton Maag for £60 per weight for a 5-user licence, for immediate download. The entire font family of six weights can be purchased for £300 for 5 users. (Prices exclude VAT).

Logos

Dalton Maag is mainly known for the typefaces that we have designed for our corporate clients, but the typographic refinement of logos is part of the service that we offer to design agencies.

Working with designers to craft a logo to perfection presents its own challenges - even starting at the briefing. Often we are asked to simply 'craft' the lettering of a logo, to make sure that the drawing of the characters is sound and that the spacing of the letters is even. But no logo job ever turns out to be that simple. Often, we present variations on a typographic theme, to tease out a little more from the initial idea, and of course we ensure that the 'crafting' is to the highest possible standard. This, for example, means that we consider two versions of the logotype where we feel it necessary - one for use at large sizes and one for small sizes. Different letter spacing may be necessary and we may even need to adjust the weight of the characters themselves to ensure optical consistency, or we submit a slightly different design altogether, simply because it will be more practical to use in a large environment.

We would like to encourage design agencies to contact us before releasing a logo on the world. It is too often that we see poor typography in a new logo, when in many cases, no more than two days of our time would have been needed to make it look right - a logo that has more than a creative idea, a logo that is perfectly executed.