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FONTS FESTIVAL: talking about type and fonts

Designers share their favorites...

This month, DTG readers and subscribers of the Design Cafe share some brief comments about all things type, typography, fonts and lettering.
      We hope you enjoy these thoughtful comments as much as we did. BRAVO! Each of these will win a great prize from the Design Center.

If you did not get selected this month... the FONT FESTIVAL theme continues into October. Have another go at it!

Meet a Letterhead

Teri writes:
      "I'm a Letterhead. I love designing with words, phrases and both the positive and negative space of individual letters. I do a lot of altered books in addition to my digital art, and love hiding words and phrases for the reader to "find" while exploring the piece.
      I know that when I'm stumped for a design, but have a theme, deciding to do something bold and graphic with words, phrases or letters pertaining to that theme will often implode the design block and cause a flood of ideas to start flowing. Often when this happens, I'll end up producing more than one piece because I just can't stop the process.
      My current favorite font: a toss up between two. Texas Hero (Picture) and
I love the vintage handwriting feel of Texas Hero, and since I do a lot of work using vintage photographs, I use it alot! Lately I've been getting more into the grunge look of old typography, and when I found Beyond Wonderland, it struck a chord in me -- right through the heart! I LOVE it! It's mad modern, but very "vintagy" in feel and artistically rustic. (It's a free download!) If I was stranded on a desert island and could only take two fonts....these would be the two I'd take (okay, I'd sneak Times New Roman in for readability and because I'm a Serif girl at heart)!
I'm a 100% born and bred Mac girl, and PhotoShop is where it's at! Right now I use CS at work and 7 at home......Thanks!"
[END QUOTE] Teri is a professional in business from Springfield, Oregon, USA

Free Fontshop Fonts each month

Stephen writes:
      "FontShop offers a free *commercial* font every month as a sort of taste test of what they have to offer. Check this page each month to see what they are giving away: www.fontshop.com/freefonts Or send email to news (at) fontshop.com to sign up for the newsletter which includes a notice when there is a new free font."
[END QUOTE] Stephen is a design professional from Oakland, CA, USA

I highly recommend my two favorite books

Trina writes:
      "I am a graphic designer (for 15 years) and a hobbyist digital photographer. My all time favorite and most-used piece of software is Photoshop and I (egads! does she really?) design on a Windows PC!
      Regardless of what platform you are on, there is nothing more important than typography. I have learned over the years, that typography is what sets you apart. I spend countless hours tweaking my type! A perfectly kerned piece of type is enough to give me goose bumps!
      I highly recommend my two favorite books to all beginners and seasoned designers alike: "The PC/MAC is Not a Typewriter" and The Non-Designer's Collection; both by Robin Williams. After all these years, I still pick up those two books and re-read them.
Computer Platform: Windows PC Favorite Software: Photoshop CS2"
[END QUOTE] Trina is a design professional from Aurora, IL, USA

Times, Arial substitutes?

This reader writes:
      "Our institution was recently re-branded... new logos/signatures, colors, fonts etc. They decided on a design font that has to be purchased by anyone doing any major design work but the substitutes are Times New Roman or Arial... maybe they didn't need to spend money to get to this point since the differences between these two fonts and the design fonts are miniscule.
I use OSX, CS2 Photoshop and InDesign"
[END QUOTE] This reader is a trainer in education from somewhere in Texas

5 obvious, but important things I've learned

Pam writes:
      "I've learned about typography as a result of my work in higher ed with activities marketing, but I believe it to be the most important element of any design. What I would like to share are 5 somewhat obvious, but incredibly important, things I've learned in the line of duty:
* 1) don't mix two of the same style type on a piece;
* 2) type can masquerade as graphics;
* 3) centered text is rarely a good idea, even though the client likes it;
* 4)leading and kerning are your friends; and
* 5) no matter how cool the font is, if you can't read it, don't use it.
I use both Mac and PC and my favorite software is Adobe Photoshop."
[END QUOTE] Pam web design professional from California, PA, USA

Type lessons you didn't learn in school

Mikki writes:
      "I'm a mac gurl! My fav is Illustrator... why, because I like it, that's why. Typography lessons you DID NOT learn in school:
* hate-hate when people use the inch and foot marks for quotes...
use SHIFT+OPTION+{ SHIFT+OPTION+}... it only makes sense.
* My favorite SHAREWARE FONTS web sites:
* www.houseoflime.com
* moorstation.org
* www.misprintedtype.com"
[END QUOTE] Mikki is a design professional from Jacksonville, Florida

Happy September

And, that about wraps it up for this month. See'ya next month -- and don't forget to participate in another upcoming topic in the Design Center

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