Free tool for DIY font design

There may be thousands of fonts available online, but for truly dedicated members of Generation C—who live to create their own, fresh content—that’s sometimes not enough. Luckily, help is now at hand in the form of a do-it-yourself font-building tool from digital type retailer FontShop. FontStruct, which was opened to the public in April, is a free, online tool that lets users quickly and easily create fonts by arranging geometrical shapes in a grid pattern, much like tiles or bricks. Working one letter at a time, users add and remove shapes including blocks and dots to achieve a look they like. Once they’re done building, FontStruct generates high-quality TrueType fonts, ready to use in any Mac or Windows application. Users can keep their “FontStructions” private, or they can share them with the FontStruct community for discussion, rating and downloading. They can also display them on other websites or blogs through the FontStruct widget. Several Creative Commons license options are available to allow varying degrees of sharing. The site is supported through links to San Francisco-based FontShop for sales and downloads of its professional, non-modular fonts. There’s no end in sight to the customer-made trend, and legions of prosumers out there are eager for fresh new ways to express their ideas. Give them the tools they need as a token of your free love, and they just may love you back! Spotted by: Dana Pizzolato