Just 62 hours to go: it's time to REACT !!!
over 8 years ago – Mon, Oct 26, 2015 at 01:26:56 PM

[Sad face] - "Guys, come on... We are far, FAR AWAY from reaching our next stretch goals, which would bring you - FOR FREE - social sharing capabilities to your extensions (via the a.k.a. Fontself Catapult), and we are even further from our dedicated online community (Fontself Nation)."

So, what shall we do? Give up? Sit on the floor and cry?
[Happy face] - "NO WAY!!!!! We will keep trying ;-)"

• First, let's share more goodness: all backers who pledge for an ULTIMATE CREATIVE PACK, an ULTIMATE STUDENT PACK or a CREATIVE PACK will also receive 3 letterpress cards as a sign of eternal gratitude!
• Second, we will keep posting on Facebook and on Twitter, and you are welcome to join the fray. 
• Third, you can still upgrade your pledge as only the ULTIMATE PACK pledges will get the exclusive access to the commercial part of Catapult (the ability to easily submit their fonts to online marketplaces), with one year of pre-paid subscription, plus the ability to install the fonts on any mobile device in 2 clicks, AND our 3 letterpress cards.
• Last, we will keep posting on Facebook and on Twitter, and you are... What!? ... I already said that!?... Ok, it's time to take a break =)

That's it for today.

Enjoy & share the love,
Franz

PS: if you pay ATTENTION to the FORM & CONTENT of this message (specially seeing all the CAPITALS & bold texts, you will PERCEIVE a STRANGE mix of excitement, fatigue, AND stress that result from an 8-weeks MARATHON. So, please have some forgiveness if this starts to get on your nerves ;-P

PS1: Oh, guys, one last thing. I recently discovered a wonderful Kickstarter project that is a perfect match with Fontself for Photoshop. It's called Chameleon Pens: if you enjoy drawing with Marker Pens, you will love the subtle shading and gradient effects that you can produce with the Chameleon Pens. 

Truly magical feeling that behaves like watercolor. I ordered my own set and look forward to color a few letters with them. Enjoy ;)

Yes: 200% + new stretch goals
over 8 years ago – Fri, Oct 23, 2015 at 10:40:35 AM

Guys, as you just doubled the funding goal, I wanted to kill the rumours that I would retire early or walk away with the extra funding ;)

Fontself extensions will ship with all the following features: great ease of use, real-time preview, color support, kerning (yes, YES, YESSSS, KERNING !!!! :), metrics editing, ligatures and custom icons/words/smileys.

Then what should we do next? 

After spending several days to collect your feedback & thoughts (thanks for doing your homework this weekend), it became clear that you just wanted to keep things simple with the extensions. 

Yet, a majority of you asked about new ways to interact with your upcoming fonts, including the ability to sell or share your own creative fonts (should you want to), and to discover more creative fonts.

So, now that both extensions are well funded, it’s time for 2 additional stretch goals, to flesh your dreams, and to define the future of Fontself...

Let's fund more awesomeness:

Stretch goal #1: sell & share fonts right within PS & AI

Let’s make it real easy to monetize your creative fonts or to share them with your friends & followers.

Introducing ♖ Fontself Catapult

Fontself Catapult is a new feature that will live right within the Fontself extensions, allowing you to submit your best font designs to existing font marketplaces or to the people you care about:

• Distribute your fonts - for profit or for free - in just 2 clicks, simply by choosing the third-party services where you want to upload & submit your font (you will previously need to set up an account on their website*).
• Share any font you created with your friends or social networking fans, by picking from a list of sharing destinations (like, you know, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or good old email) and they will receive a link to a private landing page where they get all the instructions to install the font you shared on their computer, smartphone or tablet.
• And what's good for your friends is great for you too: Catapult also makes it super easy to install creative fonts on your own smartphone & tablet, even while you are editing them.

Catapult will be available as a paid service (final pricing TBD), with an estimated time of arrival in late Q1 2016 for the first beta release. 

Want to be part of the exclusive beta users who will catapult their fonts all round the web? Kickstarter backers, just upgrade your pledge to the ULTIMATE CREATIVE PACK at €139 (approx. $158 USD) or the ULTIMATE STUDENT PACK at €98 (approx. $111 USD) and you will get the whole thing: early access to the beta + 1-year subscription to Fontself Catapult + both extensions for PS & AI + 1-year of free updates + 1 voting right for features + our complete collection of lettering cards. Yep!

***

Stretch goal #2: discover new fonts & creative experiences

You love fonts? Well, you are not alone. Meet and interact with your peers in a dedicated online community, right within your favorite creative apps or on the web.

Introducing ♕ Fontself Nation 

Fontself Nation is the new home for all the creatives who are nuts about fonts, creativity and self-expression. This online community will be tightly linked to the Fontself extensions, as you will be able to: 

• Discover more creative fonts from a curated catalog.
• Get inspired by top creative talents. 
• Learn best practises to design your own creative lettering.
• Watch tutorials within Photoshop & Illustrator.

Fontself Nation will also be accessible as a standalone website and community:

• Members will be able to showcase their creative fonts, artwork and work-in-progress designs on dedicated personal profile pages.
• Plus all community members will have access to free fonts on a monthly basis (we will commission the craziest people around to craft ridiculously amazing fonts =)
• And for those who are afraid to see a lot of cluncky, spicy, punky fonts, Fontself will continue to ensure that anyone who wants to create some CAN do so in her private sphere or profile page. We will keep promoting great artwork from every type of creative fonts makers on the most public parts of Fontself Nation, and yet, should anyone come up with the uttermost clunkiest, spiciest, punkiest font that rocks, she’ll deserve her spotlight on Fontself Nation too!

Fontself Nation will be available as a free membership, with an ETA for the beta release in Q2 2016.

***

Ok, so now that sounds like A LOT MORE than a couple extensions to create fonts. How will you (me) be able to do so? 

Well, it’s simple. Great talents are currently gathering around Fontself. Something is happening, I tell you. For instance, a super good programming ninja & friend (we had previously worked on Fontself's previous incarnations) is about to join the project full-time, so he will make sure you experience none of the weird bugs I left in the Fontself extensions (not counting all the extra goodness he started working on...).

Second, I have previously built a handful online sites, services and mobile apps for creative communities, and I can count on that experience to deliver something that will not only do the job, but that will really increase the value & pleasure you get from using Fontself extensions. I mean you will be able to get up-to-speed on font creation much faster if you see how others are doing, and if you get inspired by other amazing fonts that will be crafted with Fontself.

Oh, and a couple more points: 

• I want to renew our commitment to support non-Latin languages in the long-term too, even though it’s too early to tell which ones or when they will be implemented throughout 2016. 
• And regarding the Catapult subscriptions fees, people with limited resources but exceptional skills (or an outstanding will to learn) will be able to get access on a gratuitous basis, based on a community-driven process that will identify & reward those who really deserve it. More about this in 2016, when the Fontself Nation rises...

I hope you will enjoy the news. If so, please upgrade your pledge and then tell your Facebook friends or Twitter fans...

Now back to work,
Franz

***

PS: nothing special to add today, just a few extra information regarding Fontself Catapult...

IMPORTANT NOTES

• At the time of writing, I am in very early talks with several font marketplaces and font distribution partners. The illustrated services above have NOT YET agreed to distribute fonts submitted via the upcoming Fontself extensions, but hopefully they will do if many of you are vocal about it, back this stretch goal, and pick the related pledge ;-) 
• Since nobody wants to give headaches to the reviewing teams of the font distribution services that will partner with Fontself, we may limit the amount of fonts submitted per user per month, and ensure that fonts are completed and respect certains technical characteristics before any submission.
• Regarding your personal fonts that you will share with your pals, you will be warned about any issue or missing characters, but you will be able to send any creative font you want, and as many as you like.
• Regarding the creative quality of the fonts you will submit, you are the only responsible person in charge here ;)
• Regarding the pricing of your fonts, it will depend on the third-party services: in some instances you may be able to set your own prices, in others, you will get monthly royalties based on usage, or you may set it as a free font. As Catapult gets closer to its beta release date, we will announce more details about the official partners & pricing schemes.
• * All the font distribution process, submission & reviewing, and royalties payments on the sale of your fonts on any third-party distribution channel will be entirely handled by them, on their side and via their respective websites. Fontself is just the middle man that makes your life easier =)

#Typocracy rules. You win.
over 8 years ago – Thu, Oct 22, 2015 at 12:44:03 AM

▧▧▧ THE NEWS

Each of you will be able to share your own fonts for FREE, with any friend or follower.

Provided that we reach our next stretch goal to fund this newest development, every Kickstarter backer who got one of the extensions Fontself for Photoshop & Illustrator will also get access to the social sharing capabilities of Fontself Catapult (which was announced a few days ago).

▧▧▧ THE WHY

When I started this campaign, I barely hoped to get the necessary funding to keep building the Fontself extensions. Today, with almost 600 backers and €30,000 pledged, Fontself is outgrowing from a home-brewed dream project to a community-powered product, and nothing that will follow would have been possible without you.

When I announced Fontself Catapult as our next stretch goal (should we reach €40,000), I wanted to provide a useful & viable solution to address your vocal demand for selling and sharing your fonts. I proposed a paid-only model, but received different comments & critics on this turn. Yes, Fontself owes a lot to its Kickstarter backers, and as such, you deserve to be heard & rewarded. I tried, I failed, I learned (well, YOU taught me, a lot) and now, I try again:

• Sharing your fonts FOR FREE will remain, well, ... FREE. Whether you want to privately share your designs with a few select friends or publicly post them to your social networking friends, Fontself extensions will let you do so via the social part of Fontself Catapult. 
• Sharing your fonts as COMMERCIAL FONTS will remain a PAID FEATURE, with the final pricing and business model to be confirmed when the feature gets closer to its release date in 2016.

▧▧▧ THE "I NEED YOUR HELP !!!"

Catapult will be an amazing new way to showcase your talent to the world, but since there is just one week left to fund it, your help is much needed. So here's what you can do:

• Tell you friends to hurry up & join the movement. At work, at school, and wherever you meet fellow font lovers :)
• Post to your Facebook friends - even if you already did, many haven't seen your super mega enthusiast message yet.
• Notify your Twitter followers - they seem to be awake all days & nights, so go ahead...
• Upgrade your pledge - only the ULTIMATE PACK pledges will get the exclusive access to the commercial part of Catapult (the ability to sell their fonts), with one year of pre-paid subscription, plus the ability to install the fonts on any mobile device in 2 clicks, AND our 3 letterpress cards.

That's about it, we are almost there...
Looking forward to spend the next few years with you guys.

Enjoy & share the love,
Franz

PS: if the Queen doesn't show up yet, all hope isn't lost for gathering the Fontself community around a new home. Even if we can't reach stretch goal #2, I'll make sure all font lovers can meet, share and get inspired by their fellow lettering makers and type crafters somewhere in 2016.

PS1: No super joke today, sorry, got cold in a public library 2 days ago, and fever is catching up quickly :( I guess winter is back and I shall now wear those ugly scratching turtleneck sweaters to ensure I can survive the next 10 years of this Fontself craze...

PS2: Now stop reading, start helping!

Students, get Fontself for FREE
over 8 years ago – Fri, Oct 09, 2015 at 06:23:18 AM

Dear font lovers,
Due to the unexpected success of the campaign and popular demand, Fontself is now going to be even more accessible to students:

• All students can now get a free access to both Fontself extensions when their school pledges for a CLASSROOM PACK or SCHOOL PACK reward. 
• You already backed Fontself as a student? No worries. First, check with your teachers and school dean whether they can get one of these school pledges. If so, you can either pick another reward to show your support to the project (like one our FAN plans with awesome letterpress cards) or you simply cancel your pledge. No hurt feelings =)
• And if you really cannot convince your school dean to get Fontself for you & your friends at school, well, I just re-uped the number of available student rewards.

This way, students who couldn't afford Fontself before can now also get access to the joy of creative typography.

Please keep sharing the love,
Franz

...

PS: so what about non-student backers? Well, stay tuned, I've got more stuff for you in upcoming days ;-) Oh, and should you know teachers or anyone else in a creative school, tell them about these special school pledges. Just remember how - as a student - you loved when school gave you access to so many great people and resources...

PS1: I am not sure how this move is going to impact the campaign, whether it will make some people grumpy or - worst - whether everyone will cancel their pledge. But anyways, I really look forward to see a whole new generation of digital natives embrace font creation. This will be a wild thing for sure, #typocalypse for some, #typolution for the others.

PS2: ... mhhh.... doesn't sound right. Something is wrong in the sentence above.... Not sure... nope, not this. What about that?...   Not yet. Hm.... Oh, yes, #typolution !!! Wanted to contract #typography with something big, like, you know, #revolution, but #typolution sounds a lot like #typollution, right? So.... what else? #typoboom, #typonaissance, #typocracy? I like the last one, but... 

What do you think guys? How should we call this thing? Please comment below so we can find a proper name =)

Oh no! I missed it...
over 8 years ago – Wed, Oct 07, 2015 at 03:06:16 AM

Why does it always have to happen like that? You spend years on that thing, sweat so many nights to rush it out, and finally, when it's about to happen, you miss it.

Today, while I went to fetch little one at school, my 4S ran out of data plan. And in the meantime something happened: Fontself for Photoshop & Illustrator got funded. So it is about to happen, for real, and you will all get you rewards. Yes! No more dreaming, just the real thing. ＼(◠‿◠)／

So, as simple as it sounds: thank you.
Franz

PS: lots going on lately, super useful feedback & comments. Again. Made me think a lot about different ways to improve the extensions, to thank you all in a proper ways, and about promoting & rewarding all the creative talents who will use Fontself, or wish they would but couldn't afford it. Please just give me a few more days to summarize it all.

PS2: proof I was not kidding about missing the party, little one took a picture of me when we learned the news...