Flawless Typography Checklist

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this product a typography course or just a simple checklist?

The Flawless Typography Checklist is an interactive visual checklist that is organized to be read straight through as a complete master course on typography. Each of the one hundred checklist items includes a detailed description, a visual example demonstrating the principle and additional tips (and often a relevant quote from a typography book). The checklist items can be collapsed after reading so it functions more as a typographic tool that you can use on every design project to ensure your typography is always flawless. A friend described the product as “100 visually-enhanced mini-essays on typography” which may be a more fitting description than checklist.

Who uses the Flawless Typography Checklist?

It’s used by the internal design team of a large social media company and in the design curriculum of a major university. Designers from all over the world have used the Flawless Typography Checklist  to take their typography skills to the next level.

Why should I trust you?

I stare at type all day long working on my side project Typewolf. I’ve analyzed hundreds of sites, deconstructing what makes the typography effective (and ineffective). Additionally, I’ve been a professional designer for 16 years, working with some of the top agencies in the world like AKQA and SapientNitro, and with brands such as Discovery Channel and Pepsi. I’ve written for A List Apart, Offscreen, Communication Arts, net and Smashing Magazine. Typography is my passion and I’m constantly striving to read and learn more every single day.

Did you really spend over a year creating this?

Much more than a year actually—just not all at once. Although I spent almost all of 2016 working on it (minus some time off for a new baby), I first started this project way back in 2014. This was right after Typewolf had begun to gain some real traction. I knew that if I wanted to keep Typewolf going then I would have to make the site financially viable considering the vast amount of time and money I was pouring into what was just a side project.

Monetizing with advertising didn’t seem like the right fit for Typewolf—I’m personally just not a fan of a publishing model that relies on ever-intrusive ads that annoy readers. And back then the site traffic wasn’t enough to make any real money anyway (although now with one million pageviews a month, ads could probably bring in decent revenue). So rather than sell ads, I decided I would create and sell an educational product instead. My readers would learn more about typography, while I could make Typewolf sustainable—really a win-win situation. I began the initial research in between freelance projects in 2014 and then devoted much more time to the product in 2015 and 2016. I originally told my wife I’d have this launched before our first baby was born in January 2016, but it ended up taking an entire year longer than I planned.

I’m a total beginner when it comes to typography. Is this product right for me?

I created it assuming an understanding of basic typography terminology—I don’t waste time explaining the difference between a serif and a sans-serif typeface, for instance. It also assumes a basic understanding of the web (you should know what HTML and CSS are). That being said, my goal was to be 100% comprehensive and cover absolutely everything there is to know about typography, from beginner topics that everyone should already know, to advanced topics that I wasn’t aware of until I did the research to write this.

I’m already an expert in typography. Will I learn anything new from this?

Before creating this product, I had thought of myself as fairly knowledgeable on all things typography. However, after doing the research for this (reading and re-reading eight typography books and over two hundred online articles), I discovered that I really didn’t know as much about typography as I had previously thought. I’m confident that even the most hardcore type geeks will still learn quite a bit from this product. It includes extensive information that I have not seen written about anywhere else—tips that I’ve learned from analyzing type on Typewolf over the past four years as well as lessons I’ve learned from my 15 years of experience as a professional designer. The Typeface Selection & Pairing section outlines a unique and innovative system for pairing typefaces that you won’t find in any book or online article. For what it’s worth, someone told me that they’ve read 10+ books on typography and still found it full of useful tips.

Why is this so expensive? I can’t afford this.

The target audience for the Flawless Typography Checklist is professional designers. Professional designers readily invest in tools that save them time and improve their craft. I personally spend on high-quality products that improve my design work—the Domaine type family I use on Typewolf cost me $1650 and my iMac is worth more than my car. Design skills are in high demand and with a mastery of typography you will be able to charge much more for your work.

For a student/hobbyist, I can understand why the price may seem expensive, especially if you are comparing it to a simple e-book. But if you view the product as a complete typography course that doubles as an always-up-to-date interactive tool that you will use for years to come, then I think the value becomes much more apparent. I spent over a year creating it with the majority of that time being spent on research—I really believe it is the most exhaustive resource on typography ever put together. Lifetime updates are included for free, so it’s the last typography resource you will ever need to purchase.

Can I get my employer to pay for this?

Yes—many customers were able to put this purchase on the company credit card. Employers will often readily invest in the education of their employees and with a mastery of typography you will become much more valuable to your company. And if you are a freelancer, work-related education expenses are usually a tax write-off.

Do you offer a student discount?

Yes. Please contact me at jeremiah@typewolf.com from a university email address for more details.

Does the product focus on web or print design?

Although many of the principles are timeless and can apply to any medium, the core focus is on designing for screens.

Does the product cover responsive design?

I feel like the term responsive design is no longer needed when it comes to designing for screens. It should be implied that all modern designs will function seamlessly (and beautifully) across a wide variety of different device sizes. Everything in this product is approached with that perspective in mind.

Can I print out the checklist?

I wouldn’t recommend printing out the checklist. It would use 150 sheets of paper and a lot of the full-size images would be cut off. The interactive functionality would also be lost. If you would like to read it away from your computer, it reads very nicely on a phone or tablet.

Will the checklist remember which items I have checked?

The checklist sets a cookie to remember which items you have checked. You can exit your browser and the checked items will be saved, however, if you access the checklist from a different browser, the checked items will not be remembered.

Does every design project need to reach 100% on the checklist?

No, of course not. Every design project is different and not every checklist item will be relevant to every single project. And it’s fine to break the “rules” of typography when you have a good reason for doing so. The important thing is to make sure you understand each checklist item before checking it off or skipping it.

Can the checklist be used offline? Do I need an internet connection?

The product is delivered as a single-page web app. Once the page is downloaded, no further HTTP requests are made. The content will be cached in your web browser, so you should be able to read and check off items without an active internet connection.

Will this product be updated? Do I get free access to all the updates?

Yes and yes. I will be continuously improving this product as well as making sure the included CSS snippets are always the latest and most up-to-date versions available on the web.

Can I share my login info with other people?

No. Each purchase allows for a single user to log in and access the product. Sharing your login info may result in deletion of your account. You will need to purchase additional copies for each person who needs to access the checklist.

Do you offer volume licensing for design teams and educators?

Yes. Please contact me at jeremiah@typewolf.com for more details.

How does purchasing work? Is it secure?

Payment is made securely over SSL/HTTPS using any major credit card. The checkout process is handled by the awesome folks over at Memberful and the payment processing is through Stripe. Please do not close the window as the payment is being processed—it can sometimes take upwards of 10 seconds to go through. Typewolf does not have access to and does not store any credit card data (neither does Memberful).

After purchasing, you will be automatically logged in and redirected to the Flawless Typography Checklist. You will receive an invoice receipt email and an additional email containing instructions on accessing the product. The entire checkout process takes roughly 20–30 seconds. Visit this page for more details.

Do you accept PayPal?

My system is only set up to handle credit cards, however, if PayPal is your only option then you can send payment to jeremiah@typewolf.com. Be sure to send me an additional email letting me know what email address you would like to use for your account login. I will have to manually set up the account for you, so it won’t be instant access. Usually, I can do it the same day, however, if I am traveling it could potentially take longer.

Are there any recurring charges for this product?

No. It’s just a one-time purchase. There are no recurring charges. Lifetime updates are included for free—just log in to your account and you will have access to the latest version.

What if I’m not happy with my purchase?

I offer a 30-day money-back guarantee if you are unhappy for any reason.