The type fans among us may have been wondering what the next big thing in typography is, and maybe this is it?
»it’s nice that« about Hightype


Hightype is a Berlin based Typefoundry focusing on spatial typography. We design fonts for use in spatial contexts. While exploring arising possibilities, we specialise in the necessities of 3D-environments.

Emerging technologies like Virtual/Augmented Reality, 3D-capable web-browsers and their predecessors such as games, visual effects, and image rendering demand suitable typography. We seek to continue type design’s rich history in the virtual realm and accompany its return to the physical in the form of 3D-printing as well as other production methods.

For consistent aesthetics, we work with classic font designers, so you can combine 3D- and 2D-fonts for the best visual experience.

 

How do I use your fonts?

Our fonts are provided in .fbx, .3ds and .obj-format.

  • They can be imported in 3D-Software like Cinema4D, SketchUp, 3Ds Max, Maya, Blender, and many others.
  • With game-engines like Unity3D and Unreal Engine gaining more popularity, our fonts can also be used in that context. With the respective plugins, you can also use our fonts in virtual and augmented reality.
  • Web-browsers support 3D-environments. With popular plugins like three.js and babylon.js, you can profit from 3D in the world’s most popular interface platform. Our Pro/Realtime packages can be used more easily here, since they include each character in a separate file and more performative models with less polygons.
  • You can use our fonts for 3D-printing either at home or as blueprint for 3D-printing services. At the moment, we are also working on a printing version which saves material by only printing the outside wall of the characters.
  • We see our typefaces as a base for ideas and modifications, and we are looking forward to further use cases discovered by you.

What skills do I need to use your fonts?

Generally speaking, the requirements depend on the context. While ordering a letter from a 3D-printing company doesn’t require special knowledge, using it in browsers requires javascript knowledge. Image-rendering and visual effects are done with particular software, and in game-development is a mix of coding and 3d-modelling, while we try to take as much load off your shoulders as possible. Also check our website or register for the newsletter to hear about new tutorial we release on different use cases.

 

What about design features like kerning?

So far, there is no proper font management in 3D-Applications. We therefore recommend to use the software’s native type feature or import prewritten shapes from Adobe Illustrator. You can then place our 3D-Models where they belong.

 

What’s the advantage of HIGHTYPE-fonts compared to 2D-Fonts?

Fonts for print and 2D-web are designed with different goals in mind: They have few anchor-points, which will be highly interpolated. Also the points will be spread inconsistently, which is totally fine for print, where a sharp line is most important. In 3D however, you will extrude those shapes, and the software adds one large polygon or multiple, randomly connected triangles as front and backfaces. This will lead to unwanted artefacts, especially when modifying the elements.

Our fonts are carefully drawn in 3D and therefore have an equal distribution of polygons, that can be further increased with subdivision modifiers.

In addition to that, our fonts are available with rounded edges, another advantage of directly drawing them in 3D.

For 3D-printing, we will release a special version soon. Instead of a solid volume it will be empty inside, so the printer only prints the outer wall and necessary stands. This will enormously decrease the material cost and waste.