Image of the day: Quadon by Rene Bieder

Computer Arts: Tell us about the project ...
Rene Bieder: Quadon is my latest type project. It's a modern slab serif that tries to fill the gap between traditional serifs and the lasting trend of using sans serif fonts for contemporary design. It has a large X-height and a small descender which makes Quadon very compact, while keeping it legible at small point sizes at the same time. It has a lot of alternative glyphs and is well-suited for a wide range of versatile tasks. Since typedesign is my second love, next to graphic design, and something I do when I'm not designing for clients, Quadon had no brief or intention of selling it to a special client. It's just the next type project I wanted to realise, hoping that designers and type enthusiasts out there will like it.

CA: What is the creative process like for you?
RB: I first come up with some very rough initial sketches and a rough idea of what the font should look like and where it could be implemented. Then I fire up my Glyphs app and start designing. I first draw the letters "Hamburgefontsiv" to check if it feels good or to see what should be improved. Everything else develops from there on. I usually start with the extreme weights, in this case Thin and Heavy. This takes quite a long time. About two months, since I'm only designing fonts after my daily full-time job as an art director and designer. The most challenging part is the kerning. It has to be done and is part of the designing process, since you're designing the space between the letters, but it is also a very tedious task to do.

CA: How did you get into design and who or what influences you?
RB: I got into design in a very typical way I think. My father was a painter and had lots of books about design lying around in our flat. I started drawing very early on, and when Photoshop and Illustrator popped up there was no chance for me to get away from designing. I think I don't have a special style. Maybe it's a bit boring, but design principles like less is more or focusing on the content rather than sumptuous decorations can be applied to the way I work, as well as being a perfectionist. I also love to look at every single pixel to come up with the best result. My inspiration comes from walking down the road, sleeping, discussions with friends, working or the internet. I think when you love what you do, inspiration is simply everywhere around you.

Check more from Rene on her website and on Behance. 

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