Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Starting Places to Add to Your Font Collection
BuyFonts
(www.buyfonts.com/)
offers a diverse range of typefaces, priced from an incredible
$2 and up. The collection includes reasonably priced typefaces, covering handwritten
and script styles in addition to good typefaces for the basis of a logo. Mr. Curtis has also
graciously allowed The Xara Group and McGraw-Hill the use of six of his typefaces for our
readers; be altruistic if you like his work and buy a commercial font of Nick's or two. Nick's
styles are reminiscent of the 1940s and the Art Deco 1920s text used in advertisements,
product labels, and other signage. Nick's Fonts is at
http://new.myfonts.com/foundry/Nicks_
Fonts/.
Also check out the largest online clearing house for commercial and independent
typefaces at
www.myfonts.com.
A
glyph
is often the term used to describe a font character. Picture fonts don't often have
legible characters.
Setting a Tone for Your Text Message
You've often seen text cast in a
typeface that screams at you or
that so softly whispers that you
ignore the message. The
tone
of a
message using a specific typeface
needs to be appropriate to what
the text is telling the reader.
For example, a company that
manufactures pharmaceuticals
would shake the confidence of
the consumers if their logo used
Microsoft's Comic Sans—you
take the font lightly, so you take
the company's logo lightly.
Consider the range of available font styles as a “font
thermometer” running from cold, authoritative typefaces at
top to warm and casual fonts at the bottom. When designing
a logo, the right or wrong choice of typeface depends entirely
on the tone of the product or service. Informal typefaces are
appropriate for leisure services, games, and certain food items,
while sans serif fonts tend to lend impact and seriousness to
companies that offer electricity, legal advice, and products that
the potential buyer needs to consider carefully. See how the
typefaces you own run in degrees from casual to no-nonsense.
Authoritative,
Clean, and Cold
Impact—Gothic
sans serif
Hamlet (Handel Gothic)—
Semi-Roman sans serif
Serif Gothic—
Gothic serif
Goudy OldStyle—
Roman serif
Bastion (Britannic)—
Roman Sans serif
Stymie (AKA Lubalin
Graph, Rockwell,
Roland)—Gothic serif
Inviting, Informal, and Warm
