I think there are two streams of geek. The geeks who dig geek-stuff as well as some geeky DIY, and the geeks who dig geek-stuff as well as creative design. And they like fonts. I like fonts.
So for the font lovers, there is this great deck of font reference cards called ‘Fabulous fonts’. Sadly, it isn’t a deck of playing cards, which would REALLY rule, but it is still a fun deck to have sitting around the desk when you are in need of somewhere to look other than the monitor – you know you should rest your eyes five minutes an hour, don’t you?Covering all the classics, you get a sample, the designer, when it was created, and a story about its history. Did you know Helvetica turns 50 this year? And it’s designer died penniless in the ’70s after the foundry he made it for screwed him over it? Yeah, that’s the kind of stuff that will either keep you riveted or put you to sleep.
I found these at the Victoria & Albert Museum the other week, but you can get them online too for US$9.95.
Fabulous Fonts Knowledge Cards [Pomegranate]