Spacing, or designing the spaces inside and between letters, is the oft overlooked supremely important aspect of designing type. Though this is popular opinion among the most legit of pros, it can be counter-intuitive (get it?) for anyone new to type design.

When spacing a typeface, the lowercase n is a logical place to start, due to the fact that it has two vertical (or nearly so) stems, and space between them. Similarly, the o will define the space around curved strokes, which is another very important decision to make. In the capitals, the H has those vertical stems with space between, and the O will define the spacing on capital round strokes.

For those reasons, H, O, n, and o are incredibly influential letters when it comes to spacing, and supplying the overall genetic material for a typeface. I was looking for what word or words could be made with those letters, and I stumbled on “OH no.” The name is a reference to proper spacing, and respect for the craft.

It’s also like, “Oh nooooo!!!!!”

I (James Edmondson) do most of the design. Jamie Otelsberg handles customer support, project management, and sales and licensing. Colin does the font engineering. You can read more on our team page.

Erik and I are good buds, and we worked on Viktor Script together. Some people assume that we run Ohno together, but that is not the case.

Absolutely. Yes. Probably, but I cannot guarantee it. At the very least, I can offer a full refund. In almost every situation I’m happy to troubleshoot, and generate new fonts for you until the issue is solved. Please send an email describing the problem to info@ohnotype.co.

In my absurdly biased opinion, a custom typeface is the single most important deliverable for a brand identity. To put it simply: create the custom typeface, use it on everything, and the identity is done. I think Erik Spiekermann said that first, but I will take full credit from here on out. To put it less simply: brands need to speak in their own voice. Doing otherwise will risk their audience confusing them with others, or simply tune them out because their experiences feel like something they’ve seen before. A unique typeface exclusive to a brand is a magic weapon that cuts through the noise of many companies speaking in the same tone.

Type design is a rewarding, but often complicated and tedious process. Every font on your computer that happily accommodates your use has a story behind it, and a designer or team of designers responsible for its existence. These incredible bits of software are not spat out by a computer, they are hand drawn, and tested by real people before they quietly await your command.

That’s another way of saying, “they cost a significant amount of money, because they require a significant amount of work.”

The many considerations include but are not limited to:

What glyphs are necessary to include? What languages will need to be covered? What range of styles will create a useful typographic palette for the brand? In what settings will the type be used? In apps? On television? On the web? All of these questions inform not only the cost of the labor, but the licensing as well.

If you are serious about asking us to design a custom typeface for you, get in touch at info@ohnotype.co

During the course of my time getting started as a designer, many people were very kind to me in offering critiques, and general advice that served me very well. I am of course happy to pass on that tradition, if you promise to do the same.

Admittedly, these emails do not take priority over things like customer support requests.

This is aimed at students: On one hand, this is usually the most cringeworthy question in existence. Why? Because inspiration is everywhere, and if you’re wondering why some people appear inspired and some do not, it’s often because some people are simply working harder. Despite hypocritically endorsing nine other rules, Sister Corita Kent says, “The only rule is work.” I agree, and think that is much more important than inspiration. Quite trite, but true.

Back to the question at hand. The actual, honest, and boring answer is music, books, photography, movies, art, signs, architecture, dance, comedy, any form of design, nature, real or imagined. The important thing here is that one actively seeks out things they respond to, rather than just accept the things that appear before them on their Instagram Explore page. The more specific your list of influences becomes to you, the more likely you will work with enthusiasm. The more enthusiasm you work with, the stronger the work. The stronger the work, the less you get paid. And the less you get paid, the more bitter you become. Wait, what?

Yes! They can be found here. You can read more about what they can and cannot be used for on the Demo license page.

No, not right now at least. You can use the Demo fonts for student work if the limited character set works for you, or you could invest in a full license which you can use in all your personal work for a long time, even after you graduate! (But, remember, if you do work for a client outside of school, they need to buy their own license).

Also, sometimes design departments license fonts so their students can use them while they are studying. You might try to talk to your department head about buying a license for you and your fellow students (your tuition dollars at work!). If they have any questions, tell them to email licensing@ohnotype.co.