A former client recently asked me to update the content of their product magazine (in PDF format). I told them I could do it, but mentioned that some of the fonts used in the document are licensed, and I don’t currently have them installed. I asked if they could share the fonts with me—assuming they had the proper licenses. I later found out they don’t actually have the licenses, but they’re willing to purchase them if necessary, and they asked me to help check the pricing.
Some of the fonts used include Helvetica and Futura.
My main question is:
As a professional designer, is it considered unprofessional not to own widely used fonts like Helvetica or Futura or other ‘must-haves’? Are these considered a mandatory investment for serious designers? For context, I primarily use open-source fonts, especially from Google Fonts, which have covered most of my needs so far.
Also, regarding Futura—let’s say I already have a license for it through my Adobe CC subscription. If my client wants to make future edits to the document themselves, would they also need to purchase a license for Futura, or can they use it freely since the file was originally set up by me?
I have a handful of purchased fonts that I use in addition to the fonts that came with the operating system. On jobs where I needed something different, I either used Google or Adobe’s CC’s fonts, or purchased the fonts for myself or had the client purchase the fonts for their continued use.
Font licenses can’t typically be transferred. If they want to modify the document themselves after you give it to them, they need to obtain their own license.
If you don’t have the licence to use a font, it’s illegal to use it, no matter how difficult to trace the crime – without even getting into moral and ethical issues. Theft is theft.
Designing and creating fonts takes a phenomenal amount of time and no small amount of skill. Does that not deserve fair recompense? Let’s face it, without them designers could not do their jobs.
As @sprout said, proving where someone obtained a font is irrelevant. Instead, a user must have a license/receipt. Font licenses can’t be sold or transferred by the original buyer, so using a font without possessing the necessary license is prima facie evidence of theft.
What’s even more important is professional integrity, honesty, and respect for the hundreds of hours that individual designers spend creating high-quality typefaces and font software.
Just because font use isn’t always easy to trace doesn’t mean it’s okay to use them without a licence. Fonts are software, and like any software, using them without permission is illegal even if no one comes knocking straight away. Saying “no one can tell where it came from” might seem like a free pass, but it doesn’t hold up professionally or legally.
In fact, font foundries have gone after big companies for misuse. Font Bureau sued NBCUniversal for $2 million over unlicensed font usage, and Monotype has taken legal action too. And Nike were also taken legal action against by a type foundry.
Even when it doesn’t hit the headlines, foundries routinely send cease-and-desist letters or demand back-payment for unauthorised use.
PDFs can embed font data, and licensing can be checked if there’s ever an audit or dispute. Clients who want to edit files themselves need their own licences, not just access to the document. You don’t need to own every big-name font like Helvetica or Futura to be a pro just use fonts you’re legally allowed to, whether that’s open-source, Adobe Fonts, or ones you’ve bought.
Respect the craft, protect yourself, and keep your work above board. That’s what being professional really means.
I got an email from Monotype two or three months ago saying they were pursuing the possible unlicensed commercial use of one of my fonts that I sell through them. They asked if I had sold a license they didn’t know about, and wanted to be sure before taking action.
