A curated list of digital specimens
of the highest quality. Updated daily.
HyperText * Future Fonts Year One
The web used to be full of websites like this. Part art project, part exercise in learning (and pushing) the medium, and part commercial project. This site delightfully side-steps convention – chaotically, playfully, cheekily – and kills your browser in the process! Brilliant.
Darkmode
Despite Darkmode being presented within Dalton Maag's templated typeface library section, the specimen shows a few unique elements I wanted to draw your attention to. The animated explainer diagrams demonstrate Darkmode's core, variable typeface, benefit: the ability to switch to slightly heavier weights when using light text on a dark background. The axis switcher pattern is very well done. Sliders on two axis allow the user to dig into the weight axis and presents the problem the typeface is aiming to fix.
MonoLisa - A font family designed for software developers
A beautifully functional typeface from FaceType. The specimen starts with an all too fleeting flash of an ascii Mona Lisa shown full screen. The muted colour ways mimic the intended environment for use: themes for the likes of Visual Studio Code. Moving into features, the specimen site is full of useful animations and diagrams intended to not only demonstrate MonaLisa's attributes but also to educate the audience. The new design pattern I thought was fabulous was the little tabbed code viewer where you could preview MonaLisa in various, syntax-highlighted, programming languages – from Javascript to Python.