Large original English version HERE
Spanish version HERE
Portuguese version HERE
PRINTS, SOURCE FILES, and other Periodic Table of Typeface related goodies are available (edit: most print and products have been discontinued, however, if you're looking to have a high quality print reproduced with your local printer, see below for access to high-quality print files.)
The Periodic Table of Typefaces is obviously in the style of all the thousands of over-sized Periodic Table of Elements posters hanging in schools and homes around the world. This particular table lists 100 of the most popular, influential and notorious typefaces today.
As with traditional periodic tables, this table presents the subject matter grouped categorically. The Table of Typefaces groups by families and classes of typefaces: sans-serif, serif, script, blackletter, glyphic, display, grotesque, realist, didone, garalde, geometric, humanist, slab-serif and mixed.
Each typeface shown have a ranking of 1 through 100.
Ranking was determined by statistically sorting and combining lists and opinions from the the sites listed below (edit/note: since the creation of this table years ago, some of the source information sites have been removed, moved, etc.). The final overall ranking was achieved depending on how many lists the particular typeface was presented on and it's ranking on the lists (if the particular source list used a ranking system; some did not, in which case just the typeface's presence on the list boosted it's overall score.) After averaging the typefaces appearances and rankings a composite score was given and the list was sorted on a spreadsheet then finally given an overall score of 1 through 100 based on its final resting position.
Unfortunately, the typefaces could not be sorted exactly numerically on the table while at the same time keeping them in groups of families and classes. It had to be one or the other. Of course it COULD have been done but I would have had to seriously sacrifice aesthetics of the overall design (i.e. it wouldn't have come out looking AT ALL like a traditional periodic table.) However, upon close inspection, you find that at least the typefaces are ordered within their family/class groupings.
The sites used to determine the rankings are as follows :
The 100 Best Fonts Of All Time
(to include top ten personal favorites from designers: Jan Middendorp [dorpdal.com], Roger Black [rogerblack.com], Bertram Schmidt-Friderichs [tdc.org], Stephen Coles [typographica.org], Veronica Elsner [www.fontshop.com/fonts/foundry/elsner_flake/], Ralf Herrmann [opentype.info], Claudia Guminski [fontshop.com])
Paul Shaws Top 100 Types survey
21 Most Used Fonts By Professional Designers
Top 7 Fonts Used By Professionals In Graphic Design
30 Fonts That ALL Designers Must Know & Should Own
Typefaces no one gets fired for using (to include all serious and reasonable opinions stated in the comments section)
Spanish version HERE
Portuguese version HERE
PRINTS, SOURCE FILES, and other Periodic Table of Typeface related goodies are available (edit: most print and products have been discontinued, however, if you're looking to have a high quality print reproduced with your local printer, see below for access to high-quality print files.)
The Periodic Table of Typefaces is obviously in the style of all the thousands of over-sized Periodic Table of Elements posters hanging in schools and homes around the world. This particular table lists 100 of the most popular, influential and notorious typefaces today.
As with traditional periodic tables, this table presents the subject matter grouped categorically. The Table of Typefaces groups by families and classes of typefaces: sans-serif, serif, script, blackletter, glyphic, display, grotesque, realist, didone, garalde, geometric, humanist, slab-serif and mixed.
Each typeface shown have a ranking of 1 through 100.
Ranking was determined by statistically sorting and combining lists and opinions from the the sites listed below (edit/note: since the creation of this table years ago, some of the source information sites have been removed, moved, etc.). The final overall ranking was achieved depending on how many lists the particular typeface was presented on and it's ranking on the lists (if the particular source list used a ranking system; some did not, in which case just the typeface's presence on the list boosted it's overall score.) After averaging the typefaces appearances and rankings a composite score was given and the list was sorted on a spreadsheet then finally given an overall score of 1 through 100 based on its final resting position.
Unfortunately, the typefaces could not be sorted exactly numerically on the table while at the same time keeping them in groups of families and classes. It had to be one or the other. Of course it COULD have been done but I would have had to seriously sacrifice aesthetics of the overall design (i.e. it wouldn't have come out looking AT ALL like a traditional periodic table.) However, upon close inspection, you find that at least the typefaces are ordered within their family/class groupings.
The sites used to determine the rankings are as follows :
The 100 Best Fonts Of All Time
(to include top ten personal favorites from designers: Jan Middendorp [dorpdal.com], Roger Black [rogerblack.com], Bertram Schmidt-Friderichs [tdc.org], Stephen Coles [typographica.org], Veronica Elsner [www.fontshop.com/fonts/foundry/elsner_flake/], Ralf Herrmann [opentype.info], Claudia Guminski [fontshop.com])
Paul Shaws Top 100 Types survey
21 Most Used Fonts By Professional Designers
Top 7 Fonts Used By Professionals In Graphic Design
30 Fonts That ALL Designers Must Know & Should Own
Typefaces no one gets fired for using (to include all serious and reasonable opinions stated in the comments section)
Looking for those source files? Here you go! Please note and understand, these files are free for you to use, however, please be cool and respect that by downloading any of these, you're agreeing to use them only for personal projects and absolutely non-commercially and not for profit in any way. Personal use only, please.
Also, due to the age of a few of these files (the PDFs and EPSs at least) I can't guarantee that they'll render perfecting in your software. They SHOULD, but you never know. Finally, none of the listed fonts are embedded in any way, shape, or form. All text is outlined.
ENGLISH VERSIONS
SPANISH VERSIONS
PORTUGUESE VERSIONS
If you have any questions, please let me know!
- Cam
