Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Fonts exist as part of your computers operating system, no fonts exist in the Microsoft Word application their are several fonts installed along with it. 

Link to post on typewriter fonts:
What are some typewriter fonts in Microsoft Word?
The selection of fonts you see when using Microsoft Word exist as part of your computers operating system. That is to say these are typefaces that have been loaded or installed onto your computer. Some of the typeface choices you see came with the operating system, others as part of Microsoft office or other installed applications. You may have purchased a single font or a whole typeface family and installed it as well.
A typewriter used a fixed typewriter pitch vs the modern fonts in todays typography. Each typewriter fixed pitch font requires the same amount of space – an “I” takes up the same width as an “M” as an“O” as the “J”
Metal, Photographic typesetting, and Digital typesetting Fonts are proportionally spaced — each letter is designed with as much space as needed for appearance and legibility.
Fonts such as Courier or Courier New are likely a fixed width or mono-spaced font. Fonts that appear to be “typewriter fonts” and are in some classification systems called slab serif fonts, many are also one of your computers system fonts (Courier New, Monaco, Lucdia, Andale Mono) are the fixed font flavor, but that is not always the case.
If the font has “Mono” as part of its name you can be confident it is a fixed width or Mono-spaced font. One other check is use a Type Weight Comparison, that has several typeface specimen set in same point size, set solid, that has same number of characters in each of three different sentence. If it is a mono-spaced font the sentences would take same space, if proportional they will obviously show different line lengths.
So you can see difference in top three and bottom three Type samples line lengths, you know the top three are some examples of mono-spaced or fixed width fonts. The two specimen American Typewriter and Chaparral Pro Bold, both slab serif, both look similar or appear as “typewriter fonts” but are proportional fonts.
Some fixed width or mono-space fonts starting with slab serif then serif then san serif not already mentioned are:
Tex Gyre Cursor
Luxi Mono
Inconsolata
Klartext Mono
Fira Mono
Droid Sans Mono
Audimat
BPmono
Anonymous
Bitstream Vera Sans Mono
Monoid
MonospaceTypewriter
Oxygen Mono
Telegrama
These are just some, not endorsing or promoting, you just have to try them in your design, lot of others you can check and test out too.

Thursday, February 15, 2018

What are the best fonts for wedding programs?

What are the best fonts for wedding programs?

This choice depends and is contingent on the many factors of the wedding program project as a part of the entire occasion. Some factors include; who are the people being married and what they want their wedding occasion to be.
Questions about wedding theme, social position, size, formality, budget, is their a need for a cohesive look, all these answers and more will influence type choice, paper choice, print method, binding, folding, finishing. These choices all need to work together as well.

One of the many reasons you work with a professional graphic designer is that this is where the typographic, material, printing knowledge and design esthetic you seek resides. A graphic design professional will guide you and expertly design and produce; invitations, save the dates, ceremony programs & reception programs, shower & party cards, matching envelopes, even wedding websites.

What are the best typefaces for cartography?

What are the best typefaces for cartography?

I originally posted the answer on Quora which is where this question came to me.
 
A hard question to answer quickly.
In part it depends on the map. Road map, site map, area map, USGS Topography maps, Green Trails maps or on screen navigation map display are just a few map forms. Each map is similar but each can have a unique use.
Typography and graphic design of books, magazines, pamphlet, poster, ad, billboard, flyer you try to accomplish legibility and readability with the type. The balance may shift, poster headline that is highly legible set in unique or unusual typeface that type choice may not work for lines of copy in that poster design.
Cartography has many differences then typography in publishing print or on internet.
Typography on a map as a general guideline your selecting especially clear sans serifs typefaces, those typefaces engineered for cramped conditions, that work at small point size, and collections of symbols and markers are all useful when designing maps. But serif fonts are used too, look at a USGS topo map and you can see this.
The typography applied in cartography design the text and graphics compete. The text itself can represent a feature on a map. The typography on a map also needs to accomplish legibility and readability. The text is small, the text has a style hierarchy, text has a different kind of interplay with textured backgrounds and colors.
A popular typeface in use on printed maps is Cisalpin
A handy typeface of symbols is Carta Regular
Partial character set follows 








A list of some typefaces used on maps;
Frutiger.
Myriad Pro.
Gill Sans.
Futura.
Optima.
Meridien
Rotis
Univers
Myriad
Kepler
Jensen
Nueva
Teton
The typography on a map has some unique demanding specifications. Mapmaking designs can have many purpose, type choice can reflect that.

Maps that follow are good illustrations of purpose.

The first example has two kinds of maps shown as part of a page of a brochure. The smaller map a location map, the other larger map a site map. These two maps work together intentionally. They share many of the same typefaces, but not all the same symbols and each has a own unique presentation of information style. Each map is unique in its purpose.
The next example is a bus route map that is the main purpose. It is also a stop location and street map. It is quite different from its parent the weekday route map. This map was to be fun and inviting to the weekend user. The look reflects posters, adds, billboards, and bus sideboards as part of a campaign to attract more weekend bus ridership. The map itself uses condensed san serif fonts, The surrounding typefaces unique, bold and colors are a bright, loud spectrum. A specialized purpose map.



Thursday, February 8, 2018

What is a good font type and size for subtitles on a video to be used on a portal?

A question asked, my answer.

Not all typefaces are crafted and designed to be used when setting captions, text, subheads, and display headlines. Even though current technology makes it possible to set any typeface at any size regardless of the intended use of the original font design. It is not appropriate and the novice, apprentice, junior designer doing so often has odd looking results.

Knowing the demographics of your intended audience in addition to understanding the design brief are imperative steps to take in selecting a type design that performs well in the medium you intend to use.

Without at least that basic audience and design brief knowledge or my understanding what background you have or lack in graphic design and typography all I can comfortably steer you towards is to look at “Display” type.

Display or headline typeface is type that can forgo the extreme legibility and readability needed for long blocks of text at small sizes in favor of a stronger voice, more elaborate and expressive shapes, and a more distinctive look. Good quality display type are designed with subtle detailing, elegant proportions, and increased stroke contrast to have enhanced visual appeal at sizes above 24 point.

In what ever medium utilized, type and typography are visual media that are very much affected by size. It is important to select appropriate typeface font for the intended size range. This problem is one graphic designers are trained to solve. Typographic expertise is one of the reasons you hire and forge a business relationship with a professional graphic designer.

The Web Has Changed (is changing) However The Web Design Process Still Holds True.

The Web Has Changed (is changing) However The Web Design Process Still Holds True.
By: Theodore Baker
Last couple of years the web site buzz was the “Box Model” coded with HTML 5 styled with CSS, at the same time you were surrounded with social media, today is the “Responsive Design Philosophy” or mobil design. We see “FREE” 5-minute web design templates ads pop up everywhere, and every business web guru is telling you it is just a matter of having good content. 
Like any visual communication a web site to be successful takes elaborate planning and conceptualization. The first steps in web design project are the most challenging phases. Defining a web sites main purpose, what message to convey and how this message will be conveyed is hard time consuming work. The best web sites the ones you find to be useful all went through a Web Design Process. These best sites have a common feature; sharp and focused communication. This is not a new idea it is 101 business and marketing, and it is a hard thing to accomplish in any medium.
A Web Design will use six phases in the web site design process. These phases are:
• Discovery
• Definition, Information Architecture and Usability
• Creative Design
• Development
• Deployment
• Documentation
The heading points may have slight difference between designers and developers, however the design process has been around for ever and it works across all media.
A relevant web site design will not happen in five minutes.
Great design is accomplished with superlative collaborative work. The web design process takes a lot of hard work. Yes your paying a lot for web design team but your going to have to work too, and hard. You're going to invest a great deal of time to enable the web design team to do their part of the work.
Template design and point and click site building tools are just like paying for SEO services. In the long run it is not going to be sustainable and work well for your business web site.

In just a few clicks… , You just add content… It’s not that these template site services are bad, the design are solid the coding proven (well mostly). The problem is you are short and skinny and your buying off the rack at the big and tall. When you use these services you cut the corners of the web design process. So even though you picked the design from the proper business category, the solution the template provides is not going to result in a web site design that gives you sharp and focused communication about your unique business. To create good content you have to go through all of the web site design phases, it‘s a process.

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

What is the key purpose of a Business Card and has this changed?

I have a collection of business cards with some that are decades old. You may have a stack too, a collection from a recent event, a meet up, conference or convention.
Each business card is different if you go through them some you keep others you may toss. Those you keep it is likely all contain similar elements and have readability. This means the typeset words can be easily and quickly read.

Today many methods exist to contact a person. Arguments abound on what kind information is best or important to include on a business card. Some argue a P.O. Box is bad to use for an address. Card design exist with the entire card crammed with information, from Facebook, linkedin, Skype,  the card can end up looking like a newspaper article.

Here is my take on the Key Purpose of a Business Card

1. Conveys Contact Information
Above all else, a business card is a tangible object that’s used to provide your contact information to potential customers. Because of this, most business cards contain your name and title, your telephone number, an email address. Other key information includes; the business name, and a street address, a office phone too is ok especially if you have a reception desk to answer. Your company has a website, so included the URL address so that customers can receive more detailed information through it. A fax number only if you and customers use it weekly. When was the last time you sent or received a fax? The company logo is ok, it needs to be a balanced part of the card design. That means it is a small design element.

2. Helps Customers Remember You
While a business card conveys the means for customers to be in touch with you, a business card also serves as a way for customers and colleagues to remember you after a first meeting. Different strategies and practices are used. Some like to go with a lines or completely blank back, so that you or recipient can make a note on the card back. Sometime the business card has a unique or catchy tag line on the card back to jog customers’ memories about the circumstances of their meeting. These strategy can be a mnemonic tool to help customers recall meeting you, then merely by the name on the card, your handshake and smile.

3. Reflects Your Company's Values
A business card is a piece of your company’s marketing plan, albeit a small one, so it should work with existing materials, such as letterhead and envelopes and other supporting marketing communications collateral. A card is designed to convey the spirit of your company’s culture. Consistency is good, the same logo, company typeface, company colors are applied across visual media. The correct paper card stock is used, matching on stationery items . All materials should look related, seem to be a set.

4. Differentiates You From Competition
It’s almost a given that your customers receive several business cards from your competitors. A consistent look of all marketing communication collateral, including stationery and your smartly designed business card helps your company stand out among the crowd. Some entrepreneurs choose to use die cuts to create unusual shapes for their card, while others use perforations, folds and pop-ups to differentiate themselves. You don’t need to resort to gimmicks; a concise, direct and visually appealing and readable card that projects your company’s identity is as effective in differentiating a company as a novelty card.

Key Purpose of a Business Card

You may have a collection of business cards from decades of business, or you just came back from a event, a convention, a meet up group with a new business card collection. As you look through them, each is different, the good ones, the ones you keep it is likely they all contain similar information elements, ultimately readability is key.

In a recent conversation during a business card design review, several employees that had not been a part of the company logo and identity program from the beginning of the graphic design process were brought in the room. This group of people had not been part of the discovery research process, the strategy development, the design development, all the many meetings and reviews that had previously occurred. None had any awareness of the goals, or objectives that had been agreed upon as part of the project proposal, design brief  or what the graphic design project deliverables were.