Feedback on music typeface

[Lodewijk van der Ree]

Dear everyone,

About two years ago I decided to try to learn how to draw in a graphic design app (Affinity) to try to draw some music symbols. I had the idea that if I would manage, I could use these in my engraving work in Dorico. It got a bit out of hand, and it became a hobby I would occasionally work on if I had some free time. By now I have drawn a font of almost 800 characters. I managed to figure out how to scale and place the characters in the Glyphs app, and how to write a JSON file (thanks mostly to the article by Ben Byram-Wigfield!), so I can now actually use this typeface in Dorico.

My question to you is if you would be willing to have a look at what I've made? My goal was to match the music typeface as much as possible in atmosphere and design to the text typeface I use; Lava by Peter Biľak (Typotheque). I love the clarity and simple elegance of this typeface. I'd be very interested to hear your opinion, especially if you are critical about anything. I'd love to improve it further if necessary.

I've attached two pages from scores I recently typeset with my typeface, and also a PDF containing all the glyphs. If there is anything else I can share to give you more examples, then please let me know.

Since for some symbols I've used glyphs taken from text typefaces that I own (and have paid for), this font can not be sold to others. It was never my goal to make it commercially available, I use it for my own engraving work only.

Thank you and all the best!
Lodewijk

[John Ruggero]

Congratulations on your font! I think that you have accomplished your goal and produced a beautiful font in the process. I am no expert on fonts but everything seems to be in order. And your treble clef is one of the best I've seen. Also the flagged notes and rests. The engraving itself is excellent.

I did notice a possible typo in Example 2 m. 25. There seems to be a redundant sharp before the final A in the measure. And in Example 1 the space between the ff's and the following diminuendo hairpins is unusual. I am wondering if this is what you really want or something that Dorico is doing that you don't intend.

[NorFonts]

Good job, very nice music font indeed :-D — Bravo.

[OCTO]

Very nice. It reminds me somehow as LogicProX internal font, but emboldened.

[Lodewijk van der Ree]

Thank you all for your kind words, that is very encouraging! Especially coming from people who have designed beautiful fonts themselves, that means a lot to me!

John, you are of course absolutely right about the redundant A sharp, I’ll correct it. The space between the dynamics is the composer’s choice; she wants the ff to be sustained for two beats before the diminuendo starts again.

Have a good day!
Lodewijk

[benwiggy]

That's a very nice font. It works very well on the page. Nice and dark. (TBH, I don't like Lava on a page of music, and certainly not for lyrics, but that's by the by... )

I notice you've used a different text font for the ottava symbols. What was that? It would be interesting to see that used elsewhere on the page with your music font.

[Lodewijk van der Ree]

Thank you Ben, good to hear you like the font! I really do like Lava, also for lyrics. But I use it only for contemporary music, not when I make renaissance editions. Well, to each their own I guess

The ottava symbols are actually Lava as well, but bold italic. It's quite different from the roman!

[jrethorst]

Nice font!