Scrambled eggs and serifs

Here’s an interesting post by Tobias Frere-Jones about naming typefaces and how this process has evolved over the ages:

Years ago, I asked one of my mentors what he thought was the hardest part of designing a typeface. I was expecting “the cap S” or “the italic lowercase” or something like that. But he answered without hesitation: the name. Finding the name is the hardest part.

Tobias has only been writing on his blog since April but there’s already a wealth of fantastic articles building up. My favourites include his detective-styled writings on typographic neighbourhoods and his typewriter collection, both of which I’d heartily recommend if you like reading about type history.