Euchre 1v1: updated and expanded

For Euchre’s half birthday (is that how leap years work?) I just pushed an update of the fonts to version 1.1. I added a handful of #cool and #useful new features. While Euchre is already a great workhorse for text-use, these additions expand Euchre’s range of versatility making text more interesting in some ways and more functional in others. Here’s what’s new:

Cursive Alternates

I added a set of alternates with what I am calling “Cursive” forms. A single story an and g. A looped k and swashy f. A soft v and w. A u-shaped y. A curly et-style &. And so on. Sometimes these get called “Schoolbook” or “Infant” forms, but those terms describe something specific and aren’t quite right here. I’m not sure “Cursive” is necessarily the correct name either but I like that it describes the forms — instead of telling you where or how to use them.

These simpler forms come from handwriting and are more informal than the defaults. You can use them to make text feel bubblier, friendlier, perhaps even more interesting. FYI: The alternates are slightly different between the roman and italic styles, see the character set for details.

Cursive Alternates are accessible in OpenType Stylistic Set #03.

Tailed Alternates

Tailed Alternates are similar to the cursive ones in that they come from handwriting, but I put them in a separate group because they can have a very specific function. While the cursive forms can lead to greater ambiguity that decreases the legibility of text, tailed alternates actually increase the legibility of text by providing extra details to distinguish between similar characters. They are especially useful for technical texts that require extra character disambiguation, just try the 1Iijl1i! test (keep reading if you’re worried about those Is). These forms aren’t all business though, they also help shift the look and feel of the overall text providing a slightly more humanist feeling than the defaults.

Tailed Alternates are accessible in OpenType Stylistic Set #08.

Combining Cursive & Tailed Alternates

Because both the cursive and tailed alternates draw from handwritten forms, they play really well together. I even drew an a few special alternates that only appear when both OpenType features are active: A single story a with a tail and a looped k with a kicked-out leg. Use these features together for the ultimate flowery version of Euchre.

Serifed I Alternates

The tailed alternates are great for most text disambiguation, but there are two more features the push Euchre’s legibility even further. This first are the Serifed I Alternates. These are alternate versions of the capital and small cap Is with serifs (duh). Relive the early 90’s with this Spiekermannesque feature or, more practically, use it in combination with the Tailed Alternates for the ultimate text disambiguation. How’s that 1Iijl1i! test looking now?

Serifed I Alternates are accessible in OpenType Stylistic Set #09.

Slashed Zero Alternates

Similar to the “Ili” problem addressed above, there are occasionally times when you need to clearly distinguish an o from an 0. That’s what the Slashed Zero feature was made for. It allows you to change the default zeros to alternative forms with a slash through the counter. This can be useful for texts that intermingle numbers and letters and need to be crystal clear about which characters are a zero. And now that Ooo00 test is covered too Here’s a fun fact: Every style of Euchre has nineteen versions of zero. Wait, scratch that. Make that thirty-eight different zeros now that I had to draw all these slashed versions.

Slashed Zero Alternates are accessible in OpenType ZERO Feature.

Bug Fixes

These were all pretty minor. A few under-the-hood fixes to name tables. Some repositioned accents. A few tiny outline nudges to a couple superscripts. Read all about it in the Euchre Change Log

Update

Euchre version 1.1 update is free to existing license holders. Just download the new files from the orders on your account page. Haven’t purchased a license yet? What are you waiting for? Buy Euchre Here. At the very least you should grab a trial version.

Get a Custom Version

Just throwing this out there for anyone who might not know. Font technology has come a long way in the last twenty years. Technology like Variable Fonts and OpenType features let me pack a ton of features into a font. Sometimes it’s too much. This can be especially true when a font is rolled out across an organization. Non-designers shouldn’t have to worry about OpenType features or VF instances. Often their applications don’t even support them.

While I’ve always included alternate fonts files with Lining Figures as an option, it’s also possible to build custom versions of any font in the Okay Type library. Do you want your brand font to be Euchre but the pre-built styles aren’t quite right? You want the Euchre with 375 weight, 97 width, +3 grade, with Lining Figures and Stylistic Set #03 and #08 always on? It’s not hard for me to do that! Send an email and we can talk about it.