Designers ask Adobe for a better user interface for type

The introduction of OpenType fonts in 2000 offered designers a rich and sophisticated typographic repertoire. The number of fonts that support these typographic features has grown exponentially over the years. And yet, we – the designers, producers, and users of digital type – have observed with growing despair how software applications offering typesetting capabilities have failed to provide an adequate typographic interface.

As a founding partner of the OpenType specification and a leading developer of applications for design professionals, Adobe can be expected to lead in foregrounding the potential of the technology. However, the font menus in Adobe software are severely lacking, giving users incomplete and/or needlessly convoluted access to typographic features. Therefore, we urge Adobe to improve the OpenType user experience. This will unlock tremendous existing value for users who are mostly unaware of the amazing possibilities current OpenType fonts provide.

Gail Anderson — Designer, writer & educator

Aral Balkan — Designer & social entrepreneur

Marian Bantjes — Designer, artist, illustrator & writer

Frederik Berlaen — Typeface designer & developer; RoboFont

John D. Berry — Typographer & editor; U&lc

Ann Bessemans — Typeface designer, educator & legibility researcher

Peter Biľak — Graphic & typeface designer and publisher; Works That Work

Roger Black — Publication designer, art director & design consultant

Erik van Blokland — Graphic & typeface designer & application developer

Frank E. Blokland — Typeface designer, educator, font & software producer

John Boardley — Writer & publisher; I Love Typography

Veronika Burian — Typeface designer

Marina Chaccur — Letterer and type designer

Nadine Chahine — Typeface designer & legibility researcher

Frank Chimero — Designer, illustrator & writer

Stephen Coles — Editor, typographer & author; Typographica

Jo De Baerdemaeker — Typeface designer, educator, & postdoctoral researcher

Hannes von Döhren — Typeface designer

Catherine Dixon — Designer, writer & teacher

Cara Di Edwardo — Lettering artist, papermaker & printmaker

Mario Eskenazi — Graphic designer

Tobias Frere-Jones — Typeface designer & educator

Mario R. García — Magazine & newspaper designer & media consultant

Luc(as) de Groot — Typeface designer

Shelley Gruendler — Typographer, designer, educator; Type Camp

Sagi Haviv — Graphic designer; Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv

Steven Heller — Art director, journalist, critic & author

Jessica Hische — Letterer, illustrator & type designer

Jonathan Hoefler — Typeface designer

Corey Holms — Graphic designer

Neil Kellerhouse — Graphic designer

Akira Kobayashi — Typeface designer

Kevin Larson — Legibility researcher

David Lemon — Manager of Type Development; Adobe

Jean-Baptiste Levée — Typeface designer & educator

Steve Matteson — Typeface designer

Jan Middendorp — Writer, translator & consultant

J. Abbott Miller — Graphic designer & writer; Pentagram

MuirMcNeil — Graphic & typeface designers

Yves Peters — Graphic designer & writer; The FontFeed

Thomas Phinney — Designer & consultant; FontLab

Michael C. Place — Designer; Build

Jean-François Porchez — Typeface designer

Mark Porter — Publication designer & creative director

Hugo Puttaert — Graphic designer, writer, & educator; Integrated conferences

Mamoun Sakkal — Graphic & typeface designer, artist & calligrapher

Jason Santa Maria — Designer, teacher & writer

José Scaglione — Type designer & teacher

Bertram Schmidt-Friderichs — Typographer & publisher; Verlag Hermann Schmidt

Christian Schwartz — Typeface designer

Georg Seifert — Typeface designer & developer; Glyphs

Adrian Shaughnessy — Designer, writer & publisher; Unit Editions

Erik Spiekermann — Graphic & typeface designer, & educator

Lila Symons — Type Designer; Hallmark Cards

Gerard Unger — Graphic & typeface designer, writer, & teacher

Jim Wasco — Lettering artist, photographer & typeface designer

Doug Wilson — Graphic designer & film maker

ATypI — Association Typographique Internationale

ISTD — International Society of Typographic Designers