How *not* to draw accents - David Jonathan Ross - ATypI 2017

As a native English speaker, I draw hundreds of accented Latin characters in my fonts that I will never use myself. These can easily become a source of stress, because of their unfamiliarity and their sheer quantity; I often find myself wondering, “Am I doing this right?”
In this presentation, I will tell the story of how I learned to stop worrying and love accents. I will begin by sharing some of the excellent resources out there and discussing some of the common rules of accent drawing. Then I will show how often vernacular signs will completely break these rules, employing inventive and unusual diacritical shapes to great effect.
I will talk about how I search for atypical accents in my travels and adopt these unconventional forms in my typeface designs. Finding a balance between usability and specificity, I will discuss how I have consulted with native speakers to determine the readability and appropriateness of vernacular accent shapes. I will provide examples of contemporary type designs that demonstrate diacritical ingenuity, proving that the least objectionable form of an accent might not necessarily be the perfect one.