Adobe fonts no longer available/removed - this is a huge problem

[Jessica@54Brands]

Has anyone else gone to a file to update it for a consecutive version or build of another piece of collateral only to find that your fonts no longer exist? This is super problematic. No clients, high end international to local small businesses, should have to worry that their brand may need to be redeveloped spontaneously because a font just disappears from existence. It seems very unprofessional. I guess one way to deal with the issue is to not use Adobe fonts anymore. What a shame. 

[LinSims]

If you used a font developed by the Adobe font foundry, it will still be there.

Your issue is likely related to a number of font foundries that pulled their fonts from Adobe back in May 2020. This is not something that Adobe can control. Adobe did not own the fonts; they had contracts with the font foundries to allow Adobe subscribers access to those fonts so long as the foundries chose to offer them through Adobe. 

Your choices are to use a similar font that is offered through Adobe fonts or to find the owning foundry and license the font directly from them. The foundaries that pulled their fonts in May were Font Bureau and Carter & Cone. I hope that information helps.

[Jessica@54Brands]

Interesting. That is somewhat similar to what the rep told me yesterday in chat help, though not exactly the same (the rep pointed me to http://www.fontfoundry.com/ which didn't seem right, though they reconfirmed it was correct when I asked). For cases in which the client needs the font to stay the same, I will need to eat the cost of buying the fonts directly from the foundry. I can't ask the client to spring for that. Or, if I replace with a similar font, I will eat the time it takes to reflow a 60+ page piece, plus ask my team to get involved by proofreading the reflow. This affects the whole agency. My question now is...will it happen again? Should we avoid any fonts by subcontracted foundries? Fonts are integral to design work, so this is proving to be a very tough blow no matter the fix.

[LinSims]

My understanding (and @Dov Isaacs will no doubt correct me if I'm wrong) is that the only fonts you are guaranteed to have permanent access to through Adobe Fonts are the ones made by Adobe. Adobe obviously makes every effort they can to retain fonts supplied by outside foundries, but, ultimately, it's not up to them.

If you're concerned about availability of non-Adobe fonts, then yes, you'll want to license them directly from the owning foundries.

I'm sorry I can't make any suggestions about your current predicament, though.

[Dov Isaacs]

Your understanding is correct. No reason to correct you at all!

[Jessica@54Brands]

@Dov Isaacs is there a way to filter out all foundries, then, and only see Adobe fonts on https://fonts.adobe.com/ that would be permanently-available? 

[LinSims]

https://fonts.adobe.com/foundries/adobe

Or on the fonts.adobe.com page, click Foundaries, wait for the Featured foundries page to display, then click Adobe Originals.

[janetgg]

Right. What a huge hassle. And with Adobe campaigning to "anyone" can design, it's eating our profit margins which is nil, and allowing anyone to be a "designer now" I can't trust the fonts knowing that in the middle of a project, they will be gone. Try explaining that to a client.

[Bobby Henderson]

Fonts that are added/installed via the Adobe Fonts service shouldn't be looked at the same way as font files that are stored on a computer's local hard disc and installed directly in the operating system. The thousands of type families available at Adobe Fonts are a nice bonus item to a Creative Cloud subscription. But having access to all those fonts isn't the same as owning licenses and font files.

It doesn't happen very often, but some type families do get removed from Adobe Fonts. In at least one case, a type foundry (Font Bureau) removed all the type families it offered. A number of those type families were restored to Adobe Fonts thru their individual type designers. Still, it isn't a 100% stable situation, especially for any long term use of type in creative projects.

For items like logos, word marks or other pieces of graphics using type it's possible to protect the look of that artwork by converting the type to outlines.

There are more issues that can affect type objects in art files than typefaces getting removed from Adobe Fonts. Some font formats have gone extinct. Postscript fonts are no longer supported in Adobe's apps. Font files get updated and tweaked. For example, the version of Arial that was bundled into Windows XP is very different than the version in Windows 11. Fonts that are purchased can and do get updates to fix bugs or add improvements. Graphics applications through the years get changed on how they render type-based effects, such as Text on Path effects. I've opened 20 year old art files with live type effects in them only to see some pretty wacky results. If those type objects had been outlined back then the visual integrity of the artwork would have been preserved.

For large projects and/or repeat clients it's still going to be best to have actual font files and install them locally on the computer -even if it means having to buy a type family package. In that situation the cost has to be incorporated into the client's bill. If they want a certain unique "bespoke" look to their type scheme it's probably not going to be done for free.

[9Deluxe]

I'm running into a similar problem. I used Bernina Sans in two projects that I am updating, but apparently now in Adobe Fonts, it's been renamed to JAF Bernini Sans - Bernini and Bernina have been grouped into the same family with a different name. The family is active in my Fonts, but in AI, the font is still showing as Bernina Sans with an asterisk and JAF Bernini Sans - despite being active - isn't showing up in my fonts menu. So frustrating.