Week 5, Day 4: More Fun with Fonts

To make D happy (hi D!!) I am posting that none of what I did today had anything to do with my blog, I didn't even have time to contemplate what I was going to do.  It was a busy day: K up and off to school, home to work on yesterday's post, work on logo project, clean kitchen, work on logo project, laundry, lunch (cooked by my hubby), school for S, laundry, dinner, stop at store for a few items, get K to do her homework, back to store to get K medicine, designed tshirt for school play, build balloon car with K for school, try to figure out why my scanner won't work, got scanner to work, sent logo sketches to client, phew, I didn't feel like I did that much today, but I guess I did.

So here are a few bits of the sketching (of fonts) I did today.  I can't show you the whole images because it's a work in progress for a client:

Then I remembered a tutorial I wanted to do, and I was hooked!  This is what I did:

It's liquid filled words. 

Although I'm not quite sure exactly everything I did -- the tutorial didn't explain what I was doing.  But I do know what I need to go back and learn. 

Week 5, Day 3: Fun with Fonts

There is often a problem with waiting to work on my challenge at night, is that sometimes, life gets the better of me.  Some would say that I should work ahead, but I think that kind of defeats the purpose of a daily blog.  Life is unpredictable and we just have to roll with the punches!

Last night was a prime example:  I have been fighting a sinus infection and at times have trouble keeping my eyes open.  While waiting for K to finish her homework on the computer, I fell asleep. Next thing I know the alarm is going off at 6:00 this morning.

So today I am working on 2 challenges.  As you recall, my challenges this week are going to be a little different because I am working with typography.  So today I have played a little bit with the fonts and how the meaning of the word can become distorted by the use of fonts and colors.

If you think of other words (and it doesn't have to be pairs of antonyms) let me know and I will find a font and color that would convey the feeling/meaning of the word.

Week 5, Day 2: It's a Little Sketchy

I follow quite a few blogs, and one of my biggest pet peeves is getting something that says: 

"Fabulous Free Fonts"

I'm a sucker and I look at the fonts and say....

"You really think these are fabulous?  Really?  REALLY? "

Can you tell I got another one today and it really bothered me, but that's OK since this subject goes perfectly with my inspiration this week and has given me an idea for today's blog.

I'm not saying that all the free fonts are bad, but some (and I may mean most) really are not fabulous and they are not well designed! There are times when using a "not well designed" font is applicable...I have done it many time.  In fact, I designed this Character Traits T-shirt using a lot of "not well designed" fonts.  It was appropriate for the subject matter.

If you like the tee, go to Leave A Trace and make a request.

I guess you could call me a typographic snob! My opinions come from years of Typography and Visual Communications classes where I learned about the history of type, about fonts with serifs and fonts sans serifs. We learned the history of visual communications, and we learned about the old masters of typographic design. We were taught calligraphy very methodically and sometimes painfully repetitive. I feel like I know what I am talking about.  If that makes me a typographic snob, then snob I am. (I'm a design snob, too, just in case you wanted to know!)

This is one of the many calligraphy exercises
I did during typography classes

I also found this project which is a graphic
representation of serif and sans serif letters.

So just where am I going with this?  Well this week I am exploring typography and how we communicate visually.  For example on the t-shirt above, I tried to create a feeling of each word with the font that I used.  Was I successful? Mostly, there were a few that were harder that others.  Sometimes it's hard to find the "perfect font".

I digress, but I will keep it short.....one late night, when I was searching for the "perfect font," going to web page after web page when I decided it was probably like looking through mug shots for that elusive criminal.  What an analogy, huh?

Anyway, did you know that many of the old masters of Typography, and type designers today use math and engineering principles to design type? It's really interesting!  So for my sketching today, I decided to try to design a letter or two. Maybe one day I'll design a whole typeface, but I doubt it since it's not my cup of tea.

This is an example of a typeface designed by Philippe Grandjean from the 1690's:

Construction of the letter G

Romain Du Roi Font

I started to gather my supplies so I could sketch fonts, but I was missing a few things I really need, so I decided to do it on the computer.  I thought it might be easier, but it wasn't.  A pencil and eraser are much easier to use!

So I started with a grid

Then I figured it I could do an S  ...  HA, the joke was on me!  

Starting Grid

2 sets of 2 circles for an S

Subtracted small circles from large circles

Cut away areas...it sorta looks like an S, but not even close.

I'll try an easy letter....H.  

Now if I make a few changes, 

and adjust the height and width of the crossbar,

I have an A

HA!

Yes, I do have a sense of humor.  'Til tomorrow!

A funny thought as I am looking for fonts...

I had a funny thought when I was looking for fonts for my logo.

"This must be like looking through mug shots." 

It can be boring, and it makes me tired!  I look through endless samples, knowing again and again it's not the right one.  Then BAM! there it is, the one I've been looking for.  It's a great feeling when I finally find what I have been looking for -- although I didn't know exactly what I was looking for until I find it.  So cool!  But, I haven't had that feeling since I found the first font.  I will persevere. My logo awaits!