Fonts are very important. The Typist even makes dingbat fonts sometimes. They are fun too.
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| Art: How to Add Character to your Designs with Fonts |
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| Art Nooz |
| Written by Pet |
| Monday, 07 December 2009 11:41 |
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It's important when designing and image that uses letters and numbers to make sure the font or typeface you use is appropriate to the purpose. You want easy readability on a website, so it makes the most sense to use simple fonts like Trebuchet MS, Helvetica or Verdana. Novices sometimes try out Comic Sans MS or Times New Roman, but unlike in print, these collections can be too busy on the eyes. Anyone who has submitted a novel manuscript or screenplay knows that editors prefer a 10-point Courier font, as it's both easy to read and helps them judge manuscript length at a glance, even if the final result gets printed in Georgia, a typeface often chosen for books.
Font vs. Typeface?
Ask a room of graphic designers to tell you whether you should use the term "font" or "typeface" for computer design and they will argue like politicians for the next 500 years. In general, historically, a typeface is the actual design of the individual letters, and a font is a collection of letters for printing. If, for instance, you create letters by hand for a single design, you are creating a typeface. If you create one of each letter, number and special characters for a collection and then use them in a design, you have created a font.
If you want something more enticing than Times New Roman and Arial Black you could draw it out yourself, of course, but why go to the trouble when hundreds of other people design typefaces as a hobby and share them with you for free?
A Good Font is Worth 1,000 Words
Notice the difference between these designs:
The one on the left uses Century Bold. Century is a typeface that comes standard with many computer programs. Nearly everyone has access to it. It's comfortable and familiar. That's the problem. The tee on the left looks like it was made on a home computer by someone too lazy to finish it properly. It's cute and functional, but it lacks character.
The tee on the right took no more time to design than the tee on the left, but it looks professional. The typeface adds a sense of chaos and urgency to the cartoon image of Ensign Fraidy. How to find a Font
People all over the internet design and share their fonts. Simply typing an effect or target audience into a search engine will find you nearly endless offers of free and commercial fonts. I use Firefox, Google and McAfee SiteAdvisor.
The green checkmark is an indication from SiteAdvisor that the site has been tested for spyware and viruses and found clean. FontSpace is where I usually go for fonts, but it really doesn't matter where you go as long as it has a good reputation.
In the cute category, I chose Cheri by Font-a-licious. FontSpace makes it easy to find out your usage rights. When you choose a typeface design, it brings you to the stats and download page. Usage information is on the right. If you're going to use the font to make products you will need to make sure the usage area indicates "Commercial Use OK". If it does, and it has good reviews and rankings, download to your usual place.
How do I use it?
Once downloaded, you will need to install it. This varies by computer and operating system, but the basics are the same.
1. Find the zip file, right click, and scan for viruses using your virus scanner software. 2. Unzip the file to a place you can remember. 3. Go to your control panel or font manager. 4. On a Windows computer, generally at this point you click File/Install font and surf to the unzipped file. 5. You font will now appear in the dropdown lists of compatible programs.
Can I use it on my website?
You can use commercial-use fonts on anything you like. However, it's unlikely any of the fonts you download will be Base-13 fonts. Base-13 fonts are included in all computers to make sure there is a basic font set to display if none are called out or a font is missing. That's why websites without font faces display as Times New Roman. Other base fonts include Arial, Helvetica and Courier. If you call for Cheri as a font on your website, only other people with the font installed will see it. Otherwise they are likely to see Times New Roman. To use a downloaded font on your site, you will have to use an image.
1. It's easy to become addicted to font-shopping. Try to limit your downloads to fonts for current projects that you can see yourself using several times. 2. Make sure the typeface fits the emotional base of the piece. Lil Cthulhu would not nearly be as cute if I substituted Disturbing Behavior for Cheri. 3. Moderation is key. Too many font changes in a single image can spoil the effect you are trying to maintain, using a single font for more than two lines can be dull. Use a simple typeface to balance an elaborate one. 4. As always, don't forget to play! |
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