Typography is an art, and we, as designers, need to be mindful of the impact good–and bad–font choices have on our work. Remember when Dan Gilbert released his diatribe aimed at LeBron James? Aside from the rant, there is one thing that will always be remembered: Comic Sans MT. Yep. That good old (well, since 1994 old) sans-serif standby was horribly misused by someone who shall be forever mocked for his lack of good sense. Need I point out that there were two major crimes in this debacle? First is that he used Comic Sans at all. Second is that he used a whimsical, feel-good (if you aren’t sick of seeing it) font in a letter meant to convey rage and betrayal. Yep. That worked.

Now that we’ve learned to think beyond the embedded fonts of our trusty software, it’s time to look outward.

Number One: MyFonts.com

An admirable collection of typefaces, a user-friendly interface, and a large selection of free fonts make this my top pick. MyFonts.com is my go-to source. They offer every style imaginable, and they give you the ability to create albums in which you can save your favorite fonts by category. The website also hosts a community for typophiles and aspiring type designers.

Some of MyFont.com’s useful features:

1. Text sampler allows a preview of how your message will appear in any of the searched fonts.
2. Great searchability, and not just by keywords. If you find a font you like, there is a nifty feature that offers you a glimpse at similar fonts. It works surprisingly well.
3. Customization out the wazoo. Your sampler and album properties have a number of settings you can adjust to your liking.
4. Newsletter. Okay, everyone has an email newsletter. This one actually works, assuming you have HTML enabled for your inbox. They send it out monthly, profiling one of their typeface designers. If you’re not that into typography, just skip that part.
5. You can choose different formats/compatibilities. Yes, you can download a font to work on Mac OR Windows OR OpenType.

Number Two: Fonts.com

While it’s not quite as user-friendly as MyFonts.com, this site works quite nicely. They have an enormous selection, including several hundred free fonts. If you have more than a passing interest in typography, you’ll be interested in their blog and many other resources.

Number Three: Font Shop

Font Shop has supplied designer high-quality typefaces since 1988. They have their fonts neatly organized on their Category page. They have several browsing options, you just have to get used to the site. However, they have very limited sorting options. Be prepared to spend time looking.

Font Shop is offering three fonts for free as of this posting. They rotate the free offerings on a monthly basis, so check back every few weeks. Although they don’t offer many freebies, the ones they do post are quite nice. As for the prices, this isn’t the cheapest foundry. Some of the font collections command hefty prices. Small-time designers (like me) can’t afford many of their products. However, always keep them in mind. They have a lot to offer, and you never know what you’ll find.

Number Four: FontSpace

The good news: They have over 13,000 free fonts!

The bad news: They have over 13,000 fonts for personal use!

This isn’t all bad. The fonts are freeware and shareware. If you find something you like for a commercial project, they have the information you need to get the proper licensing. As for the site itself, it’s fun. The interface is easy to use, the text sampler works well, and you have all you need. Give them a shot.

(Note to the FontSpace people: I would be happy to post a linked logo/banner for you. For free. 8^) )

Number Five: Veer

Veer is actually a photo, illustration, and font site. The search is similar to what you find on many of the stock image sites, so be sure to click only on the “Font” box in the search bar. Fonts start at $10 US.

Veer gives you two payment options. You can pay for an individual font (or image) with a credit card, or you can purchase credits and use those. As of today’s date, you can get 10 free credits for registering. They promise you can save by purchasing credits and using those to buy fonts and images.

HDR FAIL!

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the ugly first attempt

I’m on the HDR learning curve. Someone I know created an amazing storm (tornadic cell) image in HDR, and I’ve been hooked ever since. True to my impatient nature, I started as soon as I knew where to click in Adobe Bridge (Tools –> Photoshop –> Merge to HDR Pro). My first attempt wasn’t so great. There was serious darkness, like it was underexposed in too much of the tree. I also had some ghosting, even with the “remove ghosts” feature clicked. My guess is that I used too many exposures for this one. If you look, you can find it evidence. Go ahead–I don’t mind! Honest!

HDR - Better but not great

Then there was the second attempt. I got better levels and used few exposures. I learned that more exposures seem to equal more ghosting to worry about. “Ghosting” and “ghosts” refer to areas where the exposures don’t line up perfectly. You can get some very strange effects, and some projects might benefit from allowing ghosts. In my case, not so much. By using few exposures, I was able to avoid the chopped-off cars in the lower left, as well as some strangeness along the the tree’s outline.

This is how I learned about bracketing, although I didn’t know that’s what it was called. To do HDR, you have to get multiple exposures of the exact same image. You set up the tripod and camera just so, then use a remote trigger to take the photo. I also found out, the hard way, that you want to have your aperture locked in so it’s the same each frame. It doesn’t help if you leave the camera on a setting where it will oh-so-helpfully adjust your aperture along with the shutter speed.

Another HDR FAIL!

the bad sky

Earlier today, I played with a shot of the sky, when the sunlight was hitting the clouds from behind. It was a cool effect, and I wanted to capture it. I took these shots a week or so ago, when I had my camera and tripod with me. The sky was amazing, so I pulled over in a mostly empty parking lot and set up. I came away with seven exposures of this view. For my first HDR attempt, I used five of these exposures. If you look at the full-size version of the image on the right (click on it, I dare you), you’ll see there are some ugly, blotchy areas. I overtweaked on this version, and I feel I used too many exposures. Again.

Pretty decent HDR

What I did in Camera RAW

I tried again, this time only using three exposures. Other than clicking on the “Remove Ghosts” box in HDR Pro, I left it to the program defaults. Once I got the merged image, I cropped it a little, but otherwise left it alone. For comparison, I took the middle exposure–the one I would have taken even if I wasn’t playing with HDR–and opened it alone in Camera RAW. I played with the color levels a little to add a little bit of the purple hue. If you look close, you can see that the lamp has less detail than either of the HDR samples, but it’s not as big a deal in this setting than in others where you would want the complete picture.

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HDR Success

the good swamp

This was my second HDR attempt. Considering all the mistakes I made, I got lucky. At the time, I hadn’t even processed the Broken-Hearted Tree from the first example. I think I took those shots earlier that day. At the time, I was worried about what might happen with the reeds, as there was a good breeze blowing them all around. Fortunately, there was that nifty little “Remove Ghosts” box, and whoopee, it came out all right! In fact, the whole darn thing came out better than all right. It may not be a great HDR example compared to all the others out there, but it’s mine, and it came out great for a beginning attempt.

what next?

More HDR. With each image, I learn more. There’s a book that I started reading, and I’m already seeing where I can improve. Before you know it, I’ll have some of those spectacular images that everyone drools over. For right now, it’s enough to know that there’s a new craft I can practice, and that it’s something I will be able to do well.

Koi illustration as of 07 July 2010. This may look complete, but there is still a way to go.

koi illustration

One of my personal projects I’ve been working on is an illustration of a koi (fish). These are the neat critters often seen in ornamental ponds. I don’t get to work on this all that often, so it’s fun and gratifying to work on it when I get a chance. In this post, I’m going to share some of my process with you. It’s not a tutorial, as I don’t go into minute details of how to do everything in Illustrator.

If I get enough requests (or the inclination) down the road, I may well go ahead and make a tutorial out of this project. Besides being a cool-looking fish, I’ve been learning a lot. This is definitely a case of playing with the software in order to learn it. By the time I’m finished, I’ll be a pro at  Beziers–anchors and handles–many of the shortcuts, gradients, and a few other things. Now I’m going to show and tell. Enjoy!

step one: sketch that bad boy

I like to sketch first.

In some ways, I’m old fashioned. Pencil and paper almost always yields better results for my initial drawings. There’s something about graphite and a kneaded eraser that allows me to relax into a project.

I believe that every artist, whether traditional or digital, should learn to draw in a sketchbook. Use your different pencils. Experiment with different erasers and weights of paper. You’d be surprised at what you can learn that will translate to your digital work.

Once I feel that a drawing has what it needs to satisfy the project, I dust off the flatbed scanner and get that image onto my computer. I open it in Illustrator (in this case–sometimes I use Photoshop), lock it into its own layer, and then get started.

step two: remember how to trace?

Early in the tracing process.

After I was done tracing.

I used the Pen tool in Illustrator to trace over the original drawing. As you can see, I used a gradient right away. There was no particular reason, other than “I wanted to.”

From the start, I utilized several layers. For the uninitiated, using layers wisely is crucial to a good workflow. I gave each layer a descriptive name. Some were: top fin, tail, fin 1, fin 2, fin 3, body white, eye… It’s tempting to allow layers to get auto-named as they’re created, but it can get out of hand very quickly. What sounds better: “Fin 3″ or “Layer 21″?

Once I got done tracing the bulk of the fish, I added a black background to keep it easy for me to see the edges. This helped down the line as I added various levels of transparency. It has also helped for the white edges. I can hide or display the background as needed.

step three: it’s all in the details

Most recent

This is where I’m at as of today. I’m using some transparency in the tail and fins for a more realistic touch. I have to say that I’ve never seen a fish with perfectly opaque fins–not including sharks. In fact, I may have to add a touch more translucence, but I’ll take a look later.

Some people think this is almost done, that I just need to finish the mouth and maybe a couple other things. I wish! My next step is to create a texture that will look about right and somehow apply it in a realistic manner. This is where “learning on the job” comes in. I will be happy to share what I learn from this. Right now, I can’t say whether I’ll finish this in Illustrator or Photoshop. I can see going in two or three different directions and just haven’t decided. It depends upon what I want to do with this. If I decide to use it for prints and/or Cafe Press items, I’ll probably embellish it in Photoshop. If I want to submit it to a stock image website, then I’ll keep it in Illustrator. It’s a lot to think about, because either choice will dictate a great deal in the way of process.

summary

There’s a great deal to learn with Adobe software. Be it Illustrator, Photoshop, Flash, or whatever else, there’s always more a designer can learn. To some artists, my next steps in this project would probably be a no-brainer. But then they might have a challenging project that would be a breeze for me. This is the nature of the design world. Everyone is good at something and needs work in other areas. I’ve found that there’s a lot of cooperative effort in the design community, and this is encouraging.

I may look to people more learned in Illustrator before I continue, or maybe I’ll muddle through and make my own rules. Either way, I will continue to learn from this deceptively “simple” project. May you find satisfaction in doing the same.

Right now, I only have three designs up, but there will be more. I plan to add some Halloween and Christmas/holiday items soon. Of course, there’ll be branding up, as well! If you like what you see, please pass it on to your friends!

PRO argument: something is better than nothing

Newer designers have a dilemma. They need to build that impressive portfolio to get jobs, but they need jobs to build the portfolio. Many opt to create a several personal projects to pad the collection. Others do pro bono work in exchange for credit and permission to use that work in their portfolios. Both tactics are widely accepted, but they lead to a fundamental problem: they don’t bring in money. Not directly, anyhow. In the long-run, solid pieces in the portfolio will impress prospective clients, therefore bringing in more work. Nice theory, but the truth remains that time spent on those free and pseudo-projects could have been used to bring in money from paying projects.

The upside here is that even if you get a low fee through a bidding site, you’re still getting paid. You are also getting a project you can include in your portfolio–or a 10%+ bonus if the client doesn’t want it used in your gallery.

summary:

You might not get paid what you’re worth, but you’ll have solid additions to your portfolio, generate additional leads through word-of-mouth/reputation, and have at least a little money in your pocket. If you don’t have enough work on your agenda and need something, it’s a viable option.

CON argument: you won’t get paid what you’re worth

The very idea of a bidding site is the auction concept. Clients are looking for the lowest bids. If they’re looking to save money now, how will it be when you agree to work at bottom dollar? They are supposed to list the major details of their jobs. You make your bid based upon what they post and cross your fingers. All too often, designers get in over their heads. They believe they can complete the assigned work only to discover the job is more complicated–therefore time consuming–than expected. A dream gig turns into an albatross of drudgery, and the designer wishes s/he never took it.

summary

Going with a bidding site isn’t worth the gamble. Designers take a huge risk by going on sometimes-sketchy details when making bids and time promises. You’re better off creating and refining personal projects that will add polish to your portfolio.

conclusion

These are only two of the arguments that can be presented. Personally, I’m on the fence. I haven’t tried any of these sites yet, but I’m considering it. My feeling is that it could be a fallback, in case you come up with an empty stretch of work. Whatever you do, be sure to spend time keeping your portfolio current. That is something we all can agree upon.

resources

“Freelancing: The truth about bidding websites.” www.webdevtuts.net/articles/freelancing-the-truth-about-bidding-websites

“Bidding tips for newcomers.” www.helium.com/items/1615828-bidding-tips-for-new-comers-who-just-joined-freelance-sites

“Don’t accept this form of payment” (about other forms of payment as well) webdesign.about.com/od/pricing/qt/bad_payments.htm

“Freelance Bidding Sites: Waste of time, or potential for real work?”  freelancesprout.com/2008/06/23/freelance-bidding-sites-waste-of-time-or-potential-for-real-work/

Unless you have money to burn, the choice to upgrade isn’t easy. Are the updated features worth the price tag? Can you afford to wait and add it to next year’s budget? This article discusses what’s new and why you should upgrade as soon as you feasibly can: http://www.bestdesigntuts.com/shifting-to-illustrator-cs5-is-that-a-great-option/

Artist Tony Soh is sharing 101 Tips for using Illustrator. You can subscribe to his RSS feed to receive each new tip as he publishes it. You can see his list to date–and it’s worth your time! Sometimes it’s the little things that can make big differences: http://www.vectordiary.com/tips-and-tricks/101-illustrator-tips-tricks/

Here’s a source for some cool tutorials, including a fantastic-looking bottle of wine in a box. In fact, you should bookmark this website, as it’s a treasure chest of useful information! http://vector.tutsplus.com/

That’s it for now. Be sure to check back often for more great resources!

In this blog, I’ll discuss various projects (when permitted by their clients), my creative process, and share other resources. You can follow me on Twitter and Facebook as well. As of this writing, the Facebook page seems to be glitchy. I’ll update the address shortly.

Welcome, and enjoy! Feel free to comment–just keep it rated PG. Thanks!

I haven’t done wedding photography yet–unless you count two relatives’ weddings done before really learning my camera–but should I get the opportunity, I don’t want to shortchange myself. On the other hand, I don’t want to risk losing a job by asking for too much, given my experience level. Here’s an insightful article to help consider wedding rates: http://rising.blackstar.com/how-much-should-you-charge-to-shoot-a-wedding.html

So, Readers, what do you think about Photoshop CS5? How do you determine fees for weddings or other photo shoots? Feel free to share!