Issue #25
May 18, 2006

Welcome to Inside Freelance Design (IFD), your free, bi-weekly e-letter from American Writers & Artists Inc. Every other week, you can receive this special alert with secrets, tips, and insights from AWAI's graphic design pros to help you improve your skills and reach your goal of becoming a professional graphic designer in the fastest time possible.

IN THIS ISSUE:
  • Mastering the emotional impact of fonts, by Kammy Thurman
  • Quick Tip: Pampering your two most precious asset
  • The IFD Mailbag
  • EXTRA! EXTRA! News and Job Opportunities
Mastering the Emotional Impact of Fonts
By Kammy Thurman

With more than 5,000 typefaces available today, you could spend weeks trying to come up with the perfect one for your project. But who has that kind of time?

Fortunately, with a little planning, you can pick the right one in a matter of minutes. Here's a quick tutorial to help make it easier.

Consider the Emotional Impact You Want

Part of the function of a typeface is to make an emotional impression on the viewer. It does this at both the conscious and subconscious level. So when you choose a typeface, consider the effect it may have upon your design and upon other typefaces that will be combined with it. Just as important, consider the psychological effect it will have on your viewer.

The width of a letter's basic stroke and its relation to interior spaces and letter height create narrow or wide, thick or thin letters. The direction of the basic strokes and connections between them create round, soft, flourished, tight, pointed, hard, or stiff impressions.

When you put them all together, you get a stroke rhythm that can be smooth, flowing, intense, swinging, rigid, controlled, or monotonous. And that rhythm conveys a feeling to the viewer that might be forceful, energetic, elegant, youthful, formal, casual, restrained, inhibited, or obstructed.

For example, Apple Butter (see a sample at www.dafont.com) is a serif typeface with strokes that lean slightly to the left and curved serifs that give it a “down home” feel. You might use it for a café menu.

Bradley Gratis (www.dafont.com) resembles Old English type. You might use it on the cover of a historical novel.

And CAC Champagne (www.dafont.com), a simple, clean script, would work beautifully in a wedding brochure.

You'll also find that, even among similar typefaces, there are great contrasts – created by stroke widths and proportions. These contrasts can make the text appear airy and light, thin and dim, or heavy and dark.

Times Roman, Georgia, and Rockwell are all serif typefaces. But their differences in stroke width and internal spacing make very different impressions on the viewer.

Georgia (www.fonts.com) is open with broad curves and higher “x” heights, giving it a softer, more feminine feeling. Rockwell (www.fonts.com) is heavy and dark, rather masculine, with very square serifs (called slab serifs), giving it a forceful feeling. And Times (www.fonts.com) falls in the middle, between the two.

Serif or Sans Serif?

In general, consider serif faces for a subdued, formal, or serious look. Use sans serif fonts for a crisper, bolder, or more informal tone.

However, if you're specifying type for an extended run of text, keep in mind that serif fonts are easier to read than sans serif fonts. The serifs help tie the letters together visually and make it easier for the reader's eyes to scan across and down a page.

Save script fonts and fancy fonts for creating very specific effects. And use them only for a limited amount of text. They are hard to read and will interfere with your reader's ability to understand the copy. When you're working with marketing copy, this means reduced sales … not what you want!

Creativity Is Fine, Except …

As the designer, your personality, temperament, taste, imagination, and creativity will influence your choice of typeface to a certain extent. But never try to be “original at all costs.” Some tasks require great restraint.

Designs for direct marketing and product packaging call for you to lay aside your artistic preferences in favor of whatever does the best job of selling. This means listening closely to the client's suggestions and studying what's worked for them in the past. You also want to study the successful promotional packages of competitors to see what's worked for them.

This doesn't mean giving up all input and creativity. New fonts for an existing promotion (with other tweaks and adjustments) can revitalize a sagging package. But make those changes within constraints set by the prospect's emotions that you're trying to hit, the client's needs, and the principles you're learning in the Graphic Design Success Program.

One More Important Consideration

Unless you're designing a circus poster – or trying to capture the feel of one – do not use more than 2 (absolute limit of 3) different font families in one layout. If you do, your design becomes untidy, difficult to read, and looks like the work of an amateur.

[Ed. NOTE: You can access previous issues of Inside Freelance Design at:
http://www.thedesignerslife.com/insidefreelancedesign/]

* * * * * * * * Special Announcement * * * * * * * *

A special thanks goes out to master designers Lori Haller and Rob Davis for last Tuesday's very informative conference call “Delivering the Goods – How to Keep Clients Happy.” Based on his own life experience Rob Davis gave us the details on how to sidestep the errors he made on his way to the top, and get as fast a start as possible. Whether you're just starting out, or have been freelancing for a while, you can't afford to miss this call. Request your copy of the live call recording and transcript at: www.thedesignerslife.com/signmeup/.

And if you haven't registered yet, don't miss our last call of the series: “An Insider's Look at Working with Clients” with Sandy Franks, senior marketing executive at Agora Financial Publishing and graphic designer Stephanie Boz. To learn more go to www.thedesignerslife.com/reservemyspot/.

QUICK TIP: Pampering Your Two Most Precious Assets

As a graphic designer, your most important assets are probably your eyes. And since you spend a great deal of time in front of a computer staring at a monitor, you need to take special care of them. So we checked with noted ophthalmologist Robert Ewing, MD, for advice. Here's what he recommends:

If you have persistent “floaters” in your vision or experience pain in your eyes, see a doctor immediately. These can be signs of serious problems like cataracts or glaucoma.

But absent these warning signs, you can still experience tired eyes and cloudy or blurred vision. This happens because your monitor's “flicker rate” causes you to blink less, which dries out your eyes. This is a problem that affects graphic designers more than it does writers, because you spend more time looking directly at the screen.

Dr. Ewing says to use over-the-counter “artificial tears” to keep your eyes moist.
When you sit down to work, set a timer for 30-45 minutes. When it buzzes, tilt your head back, put one or two drops of artificial tears in both eyes. Stand up, stretch, walk around a bit, or make a cup of tea. Spend at least 5 minutes away from the monitor. Then sit down ... and set the timer again.

Your eyes will thank you for taking these regular breaks (and so will the rest of your body).

* * * * * * * * Highly Recommended* * * * * * * *

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR
FREELANCE DESIGN BUSINESS?

Get the answers to these and hundreds of other questions about starting and running your own profitable design business: http://www.thedesignerslife.com/getanswers/

FROM THE IFD MAILBAG…
by Kristin Schwarz

Dear AWAI Graphics Team,

I have received several emails from AWAI containing information about the Graphic Design Teleconference series. I have a few questions.

  1. I was out of town for the first call, “Get paid what you are really worth.” Can I still sign up and listen to the recording?
  2. More importantly, I just started Graphic Design Success 3 months ago. Should I complete the program before I sign on to any such calls? Will the information be too advanced for me?
  3. Are the calls of value to designers who just want to design as a side business? I might not be able to devote as much time to the tips and techniques as somebody who runs a design business full-time.

I appreciate your feedback!

Susan B.

Dear Susan,

There is still time to sign on for the Graphic Design Teleconference series. Once you sign on, you will be provided with a link to download an MP3 version of the calls and the bonus material in PDF format. You can listen to the MP3s at any time (and as often as you like).

You don't have to be far into the Graphic Design Success Program to benefit from these live calls with our design masters. They are chock-full of useful information for beginners and advanced designers alike – for example, where to find clients and how to price your work. And since you also get recordings of all the calls, you can always listen to them again (and again) when you have advanced further in the program and are ready to market your skills.

To answer your last question: The calls are just as valuable for part-timers as full-timers. And, at this point, you really don't know where your side business as a graphic designer will take you. Many master designers started out their businesses on a part-time basis. Peleg Top started his in his garage ... Rob Davis was in banking before finding his true calling ... and Lori Haller burned the midnight oil to work on her freelance design side business before she left the corporate world for good and opened up shop full-time.

To learn more about the upcoming calls in the teleconference series, go to http://www.thedesignerslife.com/reservemyspot/

Kristin

Dear AWAI,

I just received my first GDS Program materials. It looks great … thanks!

The first assignment is about tracing. I am not sure what to do. Do I have to write out the headings and subheadings? What else must I write out?

Willie

Dear Willie,

Welcome to the Graphic Design Success Program! Now ... here's how that first practice assignment works:

The idea is to help you understand the visual hierarchy of an effective layout.

Put a piece of tracing paper (available at any art supply store) over the sample letter, and trace (at least) the entire first page with a pencil. Trace the headline, subhead, body copy, and any sidebars. I strongly recommend doing the same thing with the order device.

Actually, you should do this exercise with every letter you receive in the mail that looks like it has good design. It might seem tedious, but will really help you develop your design skills.

Many designers are surprised to learn that the best way to jumpstart design ideas is with the computer turned off. Even seasoned design pros often start their initial layouts by drawing rough pencil sketches – and sometimes those sketches just have empty boxes where pictures will be inserted and scribbles for the body copy.

Don't worry if you are not able to draw a straight line. Your goal with an initial page layout is to sketch out the relative size and placement of the text and graphic elements and brainstorm design ideas. There will be plenty of time to fine-tune the details.

I hope that I was able to answer your question. Please feel free to contact us any time you have any further questions. And good luck!

Kristin

[Ed. Note: If you have a question or comment for Kristin, please send it to:
insidefreelancedesign@awaionline.com, Attn: Kristin Schwarz.]

EXTRA! EXTRA! News and Job Opportunities
  • GRAPHIC DESIGNER - Essex Personnel seeks to place a graphic designer with Cross & Guard, an Internet advertising company in Manhattan. You'll produce interactive online sales campaigns. You must know Photoshop, HTML, and Flash. The ability to work directly with clients is also important. Send your resume to Robert Mettrick at rmettrick@essexjobs.com.
  • GRAPHIC DESIGNER - Grubb & Ellis, a leading commercial real estate company needs a graphic designer to work in its Washington DC office. You'll create marketing materials, proposals, presentations, and online materials. You should know Flash, HTML, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Quark. Send work samples, your resume, and salary requirements to Kevin.fairris@grubb-ellis.com.
  • ENTRY-LEVEL GRAPHIC DESIGNER - The Red Mountain Retail Group, a real estate developer specializing in mixed-use projects, seeks an entry-level graphic designer to design and maintain a variety of projects, both online and in print. You'll work on brochures, flyers, posters, websites, and more. You must have some experience with HTML and Dreamweaver. Send your resume to jobs@rmrginc.com.
COMING NEXT ISSUE:
  • Lori Haller Reveals Her Secrets for Building a Highly Profitable Design Business
  • Quick Tip: A Valuable … and FREE … Adobe Resource
* ABOUT INSIDE FREELANCE DESIGN *

Inside Freelance Design is a FREE bi-weekly newsletter from American Writers & Artists Inc., available to AWAI members and friends.

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