TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
So what about the weird font names like Zapf Dingbats, TrumpetLite,
Thunderbird, etc. (did you know P.T. Barnum has his own font!)
Just curious as to who comes up with these names!
As Arlen said, fonts are named by their designers. But if you wonder why you see
strange permutations of font names that are somehow similar (Times/Times
Rmn/Times New Roman, Bookman/Brooklyn, Century/Centurion, Copperplate/Copper
Pot), it's because of a legal issue.
Sadly, it seems that type designers can't legally protect a type -design-.
However, they can trademark the name they give their creation. Therefore, anyone
can steal a type design and resell it, but they can't use the name of the
original typeface. Usually, the cheaters are selling lower-quality versions (a
scan of the original, which is not as good as the original).
This is a big part of the reason why fonts are so cheap now. The reputable type
houses selling real art have been forced to reduce their prices to compete with
lowball knockoffs of the "real thing." Although consumers have benefited, I
think this situation stinks. I love beautiful type and think it's a real shame
that type designers are being robbed like this.
Emily Skarzenski
Head Technical Writer
Fastech, Inc. - Broomall, PA
71220 -dot- 341 -at- compuserve -dot- com
