Universal Type is that ever-evolving definition of what type can do, be, or will become. I find that while researching and clicking through these sites centered on type, things are changing so fast. Developments in software and networking are making branched connections that loop you around to many places you wouldn’t expect to go. Defining the concept of Universal Type seems more ludicrous each day. Maybe it more of something to experience rather than define.
Two websites that are approaching this broad idea come from two very different places, with two very different goals to achieve. And yet, they both have this overarching theme of a universal-human-input-to-letter-form and how we will interact with type.
nicewebtype.com is a central hub of type created by Tim Brown, Type Manager for Adobe Typekit. On this site, Tim has links to the software projects he has been developing with and outside of Adobe. He has websites and software for modular scaling, type design and more. He also has links to tutorials, videos, presentations and more things related to type. While it’s his site, you can tell right away he is very transparent about how much he collaborates with other professionals. And here is the key to unlocking the ephemeral Universal Type mystery: cross-collaboration with as many like-mind designers to illustrate some sort of creative consensus as to what everyone wants/needs/dreams-of for type now and in the future.
theuniversaltypeface.com takes this concept in a very different direction. BIC, the company that gave you the ubiquitous ball-point pen, has created an interactive website that lets you sync up with a smartphone and draw the alphabet. Why? BIC wants to know what a “Universal Typeface” would like, so they are collecting submissions of peoples’ hand-drawn alphabets and averaging the shapes/orientations to created an aggregate-style that is updated daily. This style can then be downloaded and used on your device. Submit your style and join the experiment!
