Dmian
Gallente
Starline Engineering Corporation
   |
Posted - 2007.01.20 00:38:00 -
[1]
So, you want to know how to get the "EVE look" on your signature, logo, site, guide, etc.?
Let's look at the fonts used by CCP on the different graphic materials and some tips on how to use them to get that desired "EVE look".
The EVE logo
The EVE logo has 2 fonts. One is a custom font, used for the word "EVE" and the "E-ON" magazine. The other is a well known font, used for the "Online" word.
When I searched for the font used on the "EVE" word I found out that there was none. It was clearly a custom font (with a resemblance to the font FFF Eclipse) and probably the only existing characters where the "E", "V", "O" and "N" charaters of the "EVE" and "E-ON" logos. So I made a TrueType font called "Eve Alpha" that includes the gliphs used in those logos and a lot more designed following the same graphic style. I've also created two sets for you to have where to choose from and make your designs unique. The font is free and is released under a Creative Commons Licence.
The font is squared based, bold and is mean only for display (it's very difficult to read long paragraphs using that font.) The pretended use is for names, logos, titles and short (2 or 3 word) phrases.
Try not to abuse this font, since it may have a displeasing effect on the reader. The least (and bigger) you use it, the better it will look.
The word "Online" under the "EVE" word is displayed using BankGothic Medium. Bank Gothic is a copyrighted font, created by Morris Fuller Bento for Kingsley/ATF Type Corporation in 1930 and released by Bitstream, so don't expect to get it for free on the internet. Anyway, Google is your friend here.
It's a boxy, squared-based font too, but the Bank Gothic family has a light version available, so it can be used more profusely than Eve Alpha. You shouldn't abuse this font also. Use it for larger phrases (no more that 10 words), subtitles, section names, titles, etc. always in smaller sizes than Eve Alpha and specially if you use it under it, like in the EVE logo.
EVE site and EVE guides
Other material made by CCP, like guides and web titles are composed using DIN 1451 Engschift. The DIN 1451 is a condensed font (a narrow font), rather bold, and it's good for titles and names, but also for text. It was created by the german Deutsches Institut fnr Normung (DIN) in 1936 to be used in road signs and licence plates (it was substituted for plates use by FE-Schrift). I belive it's still used for road signs. And it's a pretty popular font. You can get a copy from the internet if you look for it, but beware: Linotype has a propietary commercial font by the same name that it's ilegal to copy or download. Ensure that the font you get is not the Linotype (or any other copyrighted) font. A somewhat similar free font exist called Steelfish, that you can get from Dafont.
If you're going to create graphic material related to EVE it will look a lot better if you use this font for the titles.
For text purposes you can use Arial, or better yet, any Helvetica family font if you have access to it.
A last word of advice about using fonts: try to use the fonts as they are, without distorting them. That's the way the designer created it. If a font doesn't fit try to use a smaller size, decrease the letter spacing or consider using a condensed version before you scale it. In the case that there is no other way try not to scale it more than 10%. And if you have a condensed or expanded alternative, used it!. It will always be a lot better than scaling a font, since when you scale a font you're altering it's balance and you end up with a font that's unpleasing to the eye.
I hope that, with this simple tips, you can make your creations look like true EVE material.
Regards.
(P.S.: I'm missing the fonts used inside the game. I need to do some more research on them...)
|