Welcome to the first issue of HEX News, an infrequent newsletter from HEX Projects (the typographic company of Nick Sherman) with updates on new fonts and other items of interest.
I’m using the newsletter to experiment with the notoriously finicky format of email design, so please let me know if you see anything funky in your email client. You can also read the email as a web page.
If you know anyone who might like to subscribe, please direct them to the signup page.
The typeface in the header graphic is HEX Laureate.
New fonts: HEX Franklin v0.3
The HEX Franklin type family was just updated to version 0.3, with 6 new weights, 2 new widths, extra character support, new alternate glyphs, technical improvements, some experimental features in the testing stage, and more.
If you haven’t licensed the family yet but are considering it, don’t delay: forthcoming updates with even more styles will increase the price but are free for existing license holders at Future Fonts.
Get the fonts at Future Fonts →Interactive text samples at HEX →
Other Notes
HEX Franklyn Tyght poster
As a long-time subscriber of Big Mess zine, I was very happy when they asked me to design a poster about my HEX Franklin Tyght variable font for their recent “Touch” issue.
Order Big Mess #16 →HEX at HyperTalks 2.0
On May 3rd I’ll be speaking at the HyperTalks 2.0 event organized by Future Fonts. My talk will be about the influences that have informed HEX Franklin since its initial release.
Info and RSVP free →HEX Franklin in use
Chantal Jahchan used the HEX Franklin Tyght variable font for the cover design of Cedric G. Johnson’s new book, After Black Lives Matter, published by Verso Books.
More at Fonts In Use →HEX × Typographics
I designed and developed the website for this year’s Typographics design festival, taking place this June in New York City. HEX is also a lead sponsor of the festival.
Visit Typographics.com →Early look: HEX Jubilee
HEX Jubilee is a digital adaptation of Walter Tracy’s Jubilee typeface from 1953. It’s still an early work in-progress, but early licensing is available by request via email.
Preview HEX Jubilee →Future Fonts anniversary
HEX recently celebrated its 5-year anniversary as a member of the Future Fonts platform for selling in-progress fonts. It’s a great place for both buying and selling type.
HEX at Future Fonts →Miscellaneous Recommendations
Since you made it this far in the newsletter, here’s a list of things that aren’t from HEX but I appreciate and want to share anyway.
★ Sam’s Restaurant is one of the most under-appreciated pizzerias in NYC – perhaps because it has little to no official presence online. Opened in 1930, it has a classic old-school Brooklyn vibe with excellent coal-oven pizza and a wise-cracking owner/host. There is almost never a wait to be seated, even on weekends. Just beware: they close for a few weeks every summer.
★ Alphabettes is a loose network and publishing platform that supports and promotes women and nonbinary people in the fields of typeface design, lettering, and typography. It’s one of the most positive forces in the type community today.
★ Meta in Myanmar is a thorough series of articles by Erin Kissane about the role of Facebook and its parent company, Meta, in the literal genocide of the Rohingya people in Myanmar. It is a clear and often infuriating account that should make people seriously question their passive complicity when using Facebook, Instagram, or any other Meta product. (As if there aren’t enough other reasons to question it already.)
★ Neocities provides a fun space for DIY coders across many levels of experience to break free from the restrictive formatting limitations of corporate-controlled social networks and build their own independent, creative, personalized corners of the web. (The name alludes to the early web service GeoCities, famous for its freeform creative design spirit.)
★ Oak Knoll Books is a multi-generational bookseller and publisher that specializes in books about books. I buy many, many old type specimen books from them – partly because they always have a good selection, but also because they’re a great company run by nice people.
★ Buttondown is the email service I chose to use for this newsletter after researching many other options. The company has a privacy-first, anti-enshittification approach that is a refreshing departure from other corporate email services like MailChimp. Buttondown has fair pricing, a commendable climate pledge, and even suggests alternatives to their own service. The customer service is also hands-down the best I’ve ever received from any web-based service: Not only does the Founder/CEO, Justin, answer customer support emails himself, he also helps weirdos like me to do unusual things with his platform.
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