This struck me as well. There seems to be something magical about finding a good aesthetic within the router's constraints (sharp intersections but rounded line endings).
It fits with my theory about why APL's glyphs look "better" to me than newer unicode-based symbol languages like (BQN, Uiua, etc). I think it's because APL's symbols were developed to be hand-written on chalkboards. Those constraints are much more severe compared to a purely computer-based font.
I used one of the linked fonts (Gorton digital) back when I was doing business cards for myself. That run of cards taught me two very important lessons:
* Always print a 1:1 bordered in black version of a design
* No matter how hard you try, you will notice some flaw in your design when you have already sent off an order for 100 of them.
Heads up for macOS users - if you download it and click on install, it won't appear automatically in the font list as it isn't listed as an "English" font (assuming your OS language is that). It's under all other fonts. So just bring up the good old font selector ("Show fonts") and it will appear, as expected.
It looks best in all-caps, since that's what the diagrams that used the lettering sets used. You can get a good sense of how it looks with the Unicode table:
Not free, but the "Technic", "Simplex" and "ISOCP" fonts included with AutoCAD are also of this aesthetic, if people want an exhaustive list of candidates.
For single-stroke (AKA "routed") fonts of various aesthetics, look up SHX font files. I'm not sure what the license status is, but they're easy to find online. I use them for laser cutting.
Thank you for this, it's brilliant! I have spent days drawing the wiring diagram for a modified 1961 MG MGA using LucidChart. The fonts available just didn't look great. I uploaded Routed Gothic and now it looks very natural and original. Great work on the font!
I wonder who originally authored the font, and when it was created. The site cites Leroy Lettering as the likely origin, so presumably it was someone there?
As https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Asian_Gothic_typeface says, "Gothic" in the context of typography is "type style characterized by strokes of even thickness and lack of decorations akin to sans serif styles in Western typography".
I always think fondly about the font Brian [1] by Jon Hicks recreating his late father’s (I think architectural) writing.
[1]: https://hicks.design/shop/bryan
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