@font-face.com Rolls Over
A promising web fonts service was aborted today. I received this notice in my inbox:
font-face update
Our Google Announcement
Google have recently announced that they are also entering the web-font market – with the same free, hosted model as ours.
Although we have put 100’s of hours into the design, development and readying of 150+ fonts (x4 formats = 600!), with only weeks before font-face.com was ready to go live, we have decided to bow out now. A bitter blow to the team.
Our decision has not been easy. Although we feel we would offer a better service, we would after all be competing with Google. A massive might to compete with.
The last thing we would want is to host fonts for everyone to link to, only to at some point (after google have beaten us) be forced to turn them off – destroying your website designs.
So as not do disappoint you in the future, we have decided to stop now. Have no fear though – we will be back! We are hatching a new plan for font-face.com – stay tuned!
font-face.com will still be the home of everything font-face, just not in the original way it was intended.
Thanks
The font-face.com Team x x
Quitters ≠ Cowards
These folks quit right before launch because Google threw their hat into the ring. I think it’s defeatist to say you’re going to get crushed. Or that you’re afraid to disappoint customers that you don’t even have yet.
On one hand, if they are struggling and not committed, then Google is a good scapegoat. And on the other hand, I can empathize with having to toss your creative efforts out. I put the brakes on some projects after they launched because the timing was wrong, I didn’t know what I was doing, or just plain sucked at something. But you don’t know if you don’t try.
The only Steve Jobs quote worth remembering: “Real artists ship.”
They do not give up because of a perceived danger.
Google has no Variety. Yet.
Right now Google font list is quite limited. By contrast Font Squirrel, Typekit, Kernest are way ahead. A modicum of variety is all it take place anyone ahead of Google in the running. Google isn’t there yet. But by entering the web fonts market, Google is validating the need for this service at a very public level. Their presence brings wider awareness to web fonts in general, and helps everyone in this situation. A rising tide floats all boats.
If @font-face.com were truly passionate about their product, and their service truly is better, then Google would eventually have to bow-out (not likely), buy them up (long shot), or make their service surpass theirs (most likely). Therefore, by laying down now, they’re lowering the bar for everyone.
Get Back in the Ring
This news is bittersweet. Google is into web fonts! Yay! @font-face is out! No! Really? WTF? Why do they have to be mutually exclusive? I say to @font-face: Pick yourselves up. Retract your defeatist email. Launch in two weeks and see what happens.