A great app for (editorial) typophiles

Extra! Extra! is an app which shows you the front pages of newspapers around the world. I've been playing with it for hours today already, doesn't get old. Of course the informational part is less interesting to me (how much info can you get from a front page anyway? How much info is recycled across all newspapers?), but it is THE app to drool over the fonts, since it offers true high resolution (PDF?) front pages, updated daily. Not to mention that you get a glance at the layouts without having to go out to the next international news stand. It is a pleasure to use on the iPhone 4, I'm sure it's even better on the iPad.

Some screenshots (yeah, I'm a sucker for anything Christian Schwartz and Cyrus Highsmith)

USA World Cup bid

Speaking of WC bids, USA has a crappy logo for sure, but the display type is excellent. When making modular type like this one, Pentagram could have easily gotten away with over-analized symmetry, but it is the irregular touch (A, M, N) that makes it so playful. Great work.

Also notice how the web version is less complex than the print version: clever and functional.

 The rest of the bids' identities are pretty underwhelming judging from the Wikipedia page. Qatar has a nice symbol, but bad typography.

England World Cup 2018 bid logo

I think it's great, too bad the bid logos are almost always better than the ones for the actual event. Good luck, England!

Tanger Serif

Finally, Tanger Serif is available though MyFonts! I've been a fan of this family for a long time, 3 widths, 16 styles each will accomplish any typographical task (has its price though). Also see the other faces from the new Typolar foundry, great stuff.

Kade

Kade from Re-Type is based on harbour lettering. May look ugly at first glance, but you will learn to love finely balanced no-nonsense roundness and whimsical cuts. Anything that has to do with honest manufacturing: Kade is your typeface.

Mafra Display

DSType has been releasing excellent stuff lately (Apud, Finura, Velino are all outstanding), but it is Mafra Display that really knocks me off. Buy it, buy it now, $26 for a style is such a steal

Runda released

 

Mark Caneso of p.s.type has just released a new 10 style family, Runda. Although it looks very different from the initial designs, which were soft and, well, rounded, it is a great take on a classic grotesue.