How did you discover typography and decide that it could become your job?
I first came into practising typography at the age of only 14. I was looking for something, anything, to do other than play video games which I had become completely bored of. I begin by learning copperplate calligraphy, then hand lettering, and finally type design and graphic design at University here in Cardiff, UK.
Do you have some advice for a young designer who would like to get started with font design?
I get this question on Instagram almost everyday and my advise is always the same: follow your interest and fully immerse yourself into the process of type design and the culture surrounding it. Read books, take courses, and fall in love.
Where do you find inspiration for new typeface creation?
Inspiration can come from anywhere, you just have to be open to receiving it. I’ve been exploring 3D lettering for over 2 years now and I continually got asked if there were any font’s out there similar to what I was drawing. VERSA was borne to fill that void whilst being versatile enough to be used across a multitude of applications.
You made yourself a reputation for layered font, what do you like about layered fonts in particular?
The layered font gives the user a whole other lever ( pun intended 😉 ) of creative options. Seeing the font used by designers all over the world in creative ways I didn’t even think of during production has been so rewarding.
You recently released Versa, a 3D font family, can you tell us more about it?
Versa is a seventeen layered font family. It’s the first font ever that includes a variable depth, meaning it’s not only 3D but the user can decide just how much they want the word to pop of the page! The 3D design follows a tradition rooted in sign painting whilst its geometric forms allows the font to be very versatile, hence the name VERSA. The font is available in three packages Basic, Pro, & Advanced, each providing a different amount of font files at a corespoinding price making the font accessible to everyone from lettering hobbyists to multinational creative agencies. https://www.versafont.com/
What are the challenges of starting your own type foundry?
There are many challenges to starting your own type foundry. Similar to a vineyard it takes a while to produce just one product and even longer to build a reputation for quality products. It’s definitely a long game but I enjoy the process and find typeface design a great project to work on between lettering & logo design client projects.
And now for a classic question, any favorite typeface?
My favourite font of all time is akzidenz grotesk. Despite being released in the late 1800’s it remains a workhorse of a sans serif and influenced the most famous font ever Helvetica.
Can’t let your dog live in the house but still think that he deserves a cool and trendy doghouse? Look no further and get this house for your four-legged friend.
Named Doggy Dreamhouse, the doghouse is eco-friendly and offers a natural roof with a view for the dog. It was designed by Studio Schicketanz.
Great designers tend to be extremely talented and also work
hard to hone their skills. However, it’s equally important to own and master
the tools of the trade. Having access to the latest technologies might help you
work more efficiently and become highly successful in your industry.
As the majority of the work is done digitally, designers
should have a powerful computer to work flawlessly with big files. It’s also
essential to have a big external hard drive to store them and have a backup in
case something goes wrong. And don’t forget about a comfortable chair, because
working with excruciating back pain can badly affect your productivity.
Discover these eight pieces of technology every designer should have.
Although it’s totally fine to create your drafts using
artist’s pencils and high-quality sketchbooks, you’ll still need to work on
them digitally. The best course of action is to scan or photograph your drafts,
and then finish the work using tools such as the Wacom Intuos, a Huion
1060PLUS, or even an iPad Pro.
A Powerful Laptop or Desktop PC
If you tend to always carry your work with you and spend
time in coffee shops or co-working spaces, a laptop is probably the best
choice. Otherwise, a powerful desktop PC back home should do the job. Pay
special attention to the screen resolution, the RAM memory, and the processor —
since you’ll be working with heavy graphics all the time.
An Incredible Monitor With a
Calibrator
It goes without saying that having a high-definition
monitor is of the utmost importance for a designer. You need to be able to see
the colors perfectly as it would be a disaster if they were different from the
final product. Monitor calibrators can help set up the ideal brightness, gray
balancing, and other settings. Plus, they have room light monitoring. It’s
definitely a must-have!
A Big External Hard Drive
Depending on the type of work you’re doing, you’ll be
dealing with massive files. They usually tend to eat up most of the local
storage, so an external hard drive is essential if you need more space. They’re
also perfect to sync your backups as no one wants to lose a day’s work because
of a power cut.
The Latest Software
It would be great if you could create amazing content with
the pre-installed software that comes with your laptop, but that’s rarely the
case. Most designers tend to use Adobe Creative Cloud, which comes with InDesign,
Photoshop, and Illustrator. They may also use tools such as Corel Painter and
Affinity Designer. They’re not cheap, but it’s an investment that’s worth
making.
A Top-of-the-Line Smartphone
Everybody seems to need a smartphone nowadays, but
designers are a special case — they require a powerful device with a capable
network. A great option would be T-Mobile’s iPhone 6s Plus with its 12MP camera and
retina HD display. When you take into consideration that T-Mobile is the
fastest network, you won’t have problems checking those big files on the go.
Quality Speakers or Headphones
Did you know that listening to music while working can drastically improve your productivity? Studies show that depending
on the type of work (problem-solving, data entry, etc.), you might want to
listen to classical music, pop songs, or even dance music! With that in mind,
it’s probably a good idea to have top-notch speakers or headphones so you can
get more accomplished while listening to the right tunes.
A Comfortable Chair
If you’ve ever tried to work with never-ending back pain,
then you know how important a comfortable chair is. As you struggle to focus on
your projects, your productivity decreases and consequently your earnings. The
right ergonomic chair can help with your back, but also with repetitive strain
injury and even with blood flow.
Being a designer is no easy feat. Apart from constantly
trying to come up with interesting ideas for your projects, you also need
incredible artistic skills. But if you don’t have the right tools to work with,
all that talent could be wasted. When you invest in high-quality technology,
you’re also investing in your career.
Can’t let your dog live in the house but still think that he deserves a cool and trendy doghouse? Look no further and get this house for your four-legged friend.
Named Doggy Dreamhouse, the doghouse is eco-friendly and offers a natural roof with a view for the dog. It was designed by Studio Schicketanz.
Great designers tend to be extremely talented and also work
hard to hone their skills. However, it’s equally important to own and master
the tools of the trade. Having access to the latest technologies might help you
work more efficiently and become highly successful in your industry.
As the majority of the work is done digitally, designers
should have a powerful computer to work flawlessly with big files. It’s also
essential to have a big external hard drive to store them and have a backup in
case something goes wrong. And don’t forget about a comfortable chair, because
working with excruciating back pain can badly affect your productivity.
Discover these eight pieces of technology every designer should have.
Although it’s totally fine to create your drafts using
artist’s pencils and high-quality sketchbooks, you’ll still need to work on
them digitally. The best course of action is to scan or photograph your drafts,
and then finish the work using tools such as the Wacom Intuos, a Huion
1060PLUS, or even an iPad Pro.
A Powerful Laptop or Desktop PC
If you tend to always carry your work with you and spend
time in coffee shops or co-working spaces, a laptop is probably the best
choice. Otherwise, a powerful desktop PC back home should do the job. Pay
special attention to the screen resolution, the RAM memory, and the processor —
since you’ll be working with heavy graphics all the time.
An Incredible Monitor With a
Calibrator
It goes without saying that having a high-definition
monitor is of the utmost importance for a designer. You need to be able to see
the colors perfectly as it would be a disaster if they were different from the
final product. Monitor calibrators can help set up the ideal brightness, gray
balancing, and other settings. Plus, they have room light monitoring. It’s
definitely a must-have!
A Big External Hard Drive
Depending on the type of work you’re doing, you’ll be
dealing with massive files. They usually tend to eat up most of the local
storage, so an external hard drive is essential if you need more space. They’re
also perfect to sync your backups as no one wants to lose a day’s work because
of a power cut.
The Latest Software
It would be great if you could create amazing content with
the pre-installed software that comes with your laptop, but that’s rarely the
case. Most designers tend to use Adobe Creative Cloud, which comes with InDesign,
Photoshop, and Illustrator. They may also use tools such as Corel Painter and
Affinity Designer. They’re not cheap, but it’s an investment that’s worth
making.
A Top-of-the-Line Smartphone
Everybody seems to need a smartphone nowadays, but
designers are a special case — they require a powerful device with a capable
network. A great option would be T-Mobile’s iPhone 6s Plus with its 12MP camera and
retina HD display. When you take into consideration that T-Mobile is the
fastest network, you won’t have problems checking those big files on the go.
Quality Speakers or Headphones
Did you know that listening to music while working can drastically improve your productivity? Studies show that depending
on the type of work (problem-solving, data entry, etc.), you might want to
listen to classical music, pop songs, or even dance music! With that in mind,
it’s probably a good idea to have top-notch speakers or headphones so you can
get more accomplished while listening to the right tunes.
A Comfortable Chair
If you’ve ever tried to work with never-ending back pain,
then you know how important a comfortable chair is. As you struggle to focus on
your projects, your productivity decreases and consequently your earnings. The
right ergonomic chair can help with your back, but also with repetitive strain
injury and even with blood flow.
Being a designer is no easy feat. Apart from constantly
trying to come up with interesting ideas for your projects, you also need
incredible artistic skills. But if you don’t have the right tools to work with,
all that talent could be wasted. When you invest in high-quality technology,
you’re also investing in your career.
It’s not the first time we publish work by Filipino illustrator Kerby Rosanes on Designer Daily, we already featured some of his sketches and doodles.
We will probably have to feature him again in the future, as he keeps on producing stunning work, like these animals popping out of geometric shapes. If you enjoy this work, make sure to follow the artist through the social links you’ll find on his website.
It’s not the first time we publish work by Filipino illustrator Kerby Rosanes on Designer Daily, we already featured some of his sketches and doodles.
We will probably have to feature him again in the future, as he keeps on producing stunning work, like these animals popping out of geometric shapes. If you enjoy this work, make sure to follow the artist through the social links you’ll find on his website.
The first thing to consider is the cultural
differences between continents spaced so far apart. The technical side of
designing a web page for Asian markets is the same as designing one for the
United States or Europe. What will make or break your efforts are these
cultural differences and how you navigate them.
Appreciating the Asian Markets’ Sense of Design
When you talk to someone who has either worked
for or with a Chinese company or who has run a marketing campaign in China,
it’s very clear that their sense of design is different than what you see in the West. Proof of this can be
seen when you look at multinational companies that offer their brand in China.
Look at their website on Baidu or QQ. You’re going to see something that looks
very busy, full of text, full of links, and even animations, which to Western
eye seems impossible to read.
Understanding why websites that target Asian
markets are designed the way they are and learning to emulate this design style
are essential if you are going to successfully market your product or service
for the Asian markets. The following are a few tips that may be beneficial.
North American Web Design
In North America, the current trend in web design
can be summed up in one word – “Clean.” The design is straightforward and
elegant. Large images are the center of the design, with short and concise copy
appearing on the page. It’s common for menus to be hidden away and only unfold
when they are moused over.
Web Design in Japan
Japan’s style is markedly different. Less
emphasis is put on pictures and more is put on text. Images are small, and
menus are prominent, with the categories being listed in a static format. It is
not uncommon to see the site’s complete menu listed in one column.
Web Design in China
The design aesthetics seen on popular Chinese
websites fall somewhere between the extreme text you see in Japanese websites
and the scarcity of text found on many North American websites. There are large
images, but there is also substantial text. Red and yellow are prominent
colors. These colors signify good fortune and happiness to many in the Chinese
culture. Flash-based websites are popular, but their use is on the decline.
The Benefit of Extra Graphics and Sound
In the Asian market, websites flourish when they
are more direct. This is due to the High Context culture they are placed
within. Messages have to be implied and the approach direct. Adding more visual
elements, such as images, do more to talk about the brand and its values than
anything else. Minimalism is not popular in Asia, like it is the United States
and Europe. Remember, you are not designing to your taste but instead to the
taste of your target audience.
Maximize the User Experience
From a Western standpoint, Asian market websites
may seem a lot more complicated than what we are used too. However, the users
are used to receiving information under this structure in the same way that
Westerners are accustomed to receiving information under a Western structure.
They are accustomed to seeing a busy website, so
they do not care how the site looks. What they are concerned about is usability
and performance. An important part of usability is site speed and reliability.
It can be beneficial to use websites that compare hosting data to help your
small business or medium business find the right hosting solution to you.
Our friends at Hosting Singapore put together a
great resource to help people sort hosts via performance tests.
Optimize Your Site for Baidu
Most SEO efforts are directed toward achieving
ranking on Google and Yahoo, and sometimes Bing. However, Baidu is a popular
search engine in China. It has not had a global reach, and that is why many
people do not know about it outside of China. But China has more than a billion
inhabitants. If you rank well on this site and if your target market is in
China, it pays to optimize your site for Baidu.
The algorithm that Baidu uses is different from
Google or Yahoo. It does not have the same sophistication, and it has
algorithms that resemble what other search engines used a few years ago. That
being said, here are some tips on what you can do to rank with Baidu.
Find the Right Chinese Words
Keywords are important for good rankings. Finding
the right Chinese words to optimize for can be a challenge because there are
number of dialects with the same word having different meanings in different
dialects. However, Pinyin Chinese is the language of choice preferred by Baidu.
Structuring a website for Asian languages can be a challenge for Westerners. Thankfully,
there are great resources that can help you design your website effectively.
Produce Quality Chinese Content
Even if the primary language on your site is not
Chinese, Baidu views the Chinese content above all else. Follow the guidelines
for acceptable content in China. Failure to do this could cost you your good
rankings on Baidu and spell big problems for your site.
Use Simple Navigation Structures
Baidu refuses to follow links that are hidden
deep in all kinds of sloppy code. It will not work with code that goes multiple
levels deep within the same hierarchy.
Avoid Flash and JavaScript
Google does not love Flash or JavaScript, and
Baidu hates them. For this reason, you should only use Flash and JavaScript if
you are able to provide the alternative HTML versions of the content.
Understanding the Power of Language
There are more than 2,190 languages spoken in
Asia. Of these, 10 are the most commonly spoken. These include:
Mandarin, with 1.2 billion speakers
English, with 400 million speakers
Indonesian, with 240 million speakers
Japanese, with 120 million speakers
Filipino, with 90 million speakers
Korean, with 80 million speakers
Vietnamese, with 80 million speakers
Thai, with 60 million speakers
Burmese, 33 million speakers
Malaysian, with 30 million speakers
Mandarin, English, and Japanese are the most used languages on the Internet. Creating
quality content on your site in these languages will help you reach the Asian
markets.
Although it may seem overwhelming, adapting your
website or creating a website for the Asian markets is very manageable. You
need to have a solid plan and know what direction you’re going to go in.
Remember, approach China, Japan, and India in their own ways. Understanding
their cultures and their perception of space and color will help you make a
website that will flourish in the Asian markets.
The first thing to consider is the cultural
differences between continents spaced so far apart. The technical side of
designing a web page for Asian markets is the same as designing one for the
United States or Europe. What will make or break your efforts are these
cultural differences and how you navigate them.
Appreciating the Asian Markets’ Sense of Design
When you talk to someone who has either worked
for or with a Chinese company or who has run a marketing campaign in China,
it’s very clear that their sense of design is different than what you see in the West. Proof of this can be
seen when you look at multinational companies that offer their brand in China.
Look at their website on Baidu or QQ. You’re going to see something that looks
very busy, full of text, full of links, and even animations, which to Western
eye seems impossible to read.
Understanding why websites that target Asian
markets are designed the way they are and learning to emulate this design style
are essential if you are going to successfully market your product or service
for the Asian markets. The following are a few tips that may be beneficial.
North American Web Design
In North America, the current trend in web design
can be summed up in one word – “Clean.” The design is straightforward and
elegant. Large images are the center of the design, with short and concise copy
appearing on the page. It’s common for menus to be hidden away and only unfold
when they are moused over.
Web Design in Japan
Japan’s style is markedly different. Less
emphasis is put on pictures and more is put on text. Images are small, and
menus are prominent, with the categories being listed in a static format. It is
not uncommon to see the site’s complete menu listed in one column.
Web Design in China
The design aesthetics seen on popular Chinese
websites fall somewhere between the extreme text you see in Japanese websites
and the scarcity of text found on many North American websites. There are large
images, but there is also substantial text. Red and yellow are prominent
colors. These colors signify good fortune and happiness to many in the Chinese
culture. Flash-based websites are popular, but their use is on the decline.
The Benefit of Extra Graphics and Sound
In the Asian market, websites flourish when they
are more direct. This is due to the High Context culture they are placed
within. Messages have to be implied and the approach direct. Adding more visual
elements, such as images, do more to talk about the brand and its values than
anything else. Minimalism is not popular in Asia, like it is the United States
and Europe. Remember, you are not designing to your taste but instead to the
taste of your target audience.
Maximize the User Experience
From a Western standpoint, Asian market websites
may seem a lot more complicated than what we are used too. However, the users
are used to receiving information under this structure in the same way that
Westerners are accustomed to receiving information under a Western structure.
They are accustomed to seeing a busy website, so
they do not care how the site looks. What they are concerned about is usability
and performance. An important part of usability is site speed and reliability.
It can be beneficial to use websites that compare hosting data to help your
small business or medium business find the right hosting solution to you.
Our friends at Hosting Singapore put together a
great resource to help people sort hosts via performance tests.
Optimize Your Site for Baidu
Most SEO efforts are directed toward achieving
ranking on Google and Yahoo, and sometimes Bing. However, Baidu is a popular
search engine in China. It has not had a global reach, and that is why many
people do not know about it outside of China. But China has more than a billion
inhabitants. If you rank well on this site and if your target market is in
China, it pays to optimize your site for Baidu.
The algorithm that Baidu uses is different from
Google or Yahoo. It does not have the same sophistication, and it has
algorithms that resemble what other search engines used a few years ago. That
being said, here are some tips on what you can do to rank with Baidu.
Find the Right Chinese Words
Keywords are important for good rankings. Finding
the right Chinese words to optimize for can be a challenge because there are
number of dialects with the same word having different meanings in different
dialects. However, Pinyin Chinese is the language of choice preferred by Baidu.
Structuring a website for Asian languages can be a challenge for Westerners. Thankfully,
there are great resources that can help you design your website effectively.
Produce Quality Chinese Content
Even if the primary language on your site is not
Chinese, Baidu views the Chinese content above all else. Follow the guidelines
for acceptable content in China. Failure to do this could cost you your good
rankings on Baidu and spell big problems for your site.
Use Simple Navigation Structures
Baidu refuses to follow links that are hidden
deep in all kinds of sloppy code. It will not work with code that goes multiple
levels deep within the same hierarchy.
Avoid Flash and JavaScript
Google does not love Flash or JavaScript, and
Baidu hates them. For this reason, you should only use Flash and JavaScript if
you are able to provide the alternative HTML versions of the content.
Understanding the Power of Language
There are more than 2,190 languages spoken in
Asia. Of these, 10 are the most commonly spoken. These include:
Mandarin, with 1.2 billion speakers
English, with 400 million speakers
Indonesian, with 240 million speakers
Japanese, with 120 million speakers
Filipino, with 90 million speakers
Korean, with 80 million speakers
Vietnamese, with 80 million speakers
Thai, with 60 million speakers
Burmese, 33 million speakers
Malaysian, with 30 million speakers
Mandarin, English, and Japanese are the most used languages on the Internet. Creating
quality content on your site in these languages will help you reach the Asian
markets.
Although it may seem overwhelming, adapting your
website or creating a website for the Asian markets is very manageable. You
need to have a solid plan and know what direction you’re going to go in.
Remember, approach China, Japan, and India in their own ways. Understanding
their cultures and their perception of space and color will help you make a
website that will flourish in the Asian markets.
A great business card should convey the overall motto and images of your business. It is a not an easy task considering the fact that an average business card only measures 2 inches in width and 3.5 inches in length. It is inconsiderate to have the thought that your business card will portray the entirety of your business. However, what it can do is portray a professional image of your business which the other person will remember.
You need to consider a lot of factors before deciding on the design of your business card. These factors include colour, text and typography to name a few. And all of these factors should perfectly align in order to reflect a professional image of your business.
While designing your business card, it is important to use common sense. For example, if you are a business selling children products, the best bet will be to use bright colours and quirky designs. You can consider the typography to be written in child script for the design to stand out even more.
Another example to consider- suppose you are the proprietor of a financial advisory firm. When designing your business card, you should keep in mind that it should reflect the two most important aspects of your business, which are professionalism and integrity. Go for a simple black-gold or a white-beige business card design to successfully reflect the same.
While professional designers always suggest that an entrepreneur shouldn’t design their own business card, most small and cash-strapped business owners are left with few other choices. But don’t lose hope, keep the below-mentioned tips in mind, and you will be all set.
Keep your logo as the basis
Make your business logo the biggest element in your business card. By making it big, you will not attract the attention of your readers on to it, but also utilise the space which would otherwise remain empty.
KISS- Keep it Simple, Stupid!
Professionalism is best reflected when the design is simple yet unique and convenient. Keeping the entire layout of your business card simple, will ease the eyes of your readers and only attract their attention to the important details of your company. Don’t cramp too much information into your business card.
Include the essentials
The most important aspect of having a business card is to portray essential information about your company or organisation. Include your name, designation, company name, email address and phone number. Keep the font size bigger than the rest of the card and also make them bold to stand out even more. Although there is no standard arrangement on how to portray this information, it is best practice to put your name, designation, email address and then the phone number.
Make it readable
Being excessively creative with your design can take you to a whole different tangent. While in the flow, make sure to keep the entire font very readable. People don’t have the time to stretch their eyes and invest a lot of time into figuring out what you have written.
Stick to one or two colours
While some creative prefer keeping the colour scheme as a rainbow, it is usually not a good choice. First, it makes the card look unprofessional and moreover the cost of printing them will be very high. The more the number of colours the more will be the price of the overall card.
Try different papers and printing techniques
If you are in the creative industry, or a person who is very creative, you can surely out the various papers available in the market. Starting from pure cotton paper to recycled kraft or even corrugated cardboard, there are a lot of choices to choose from. Combining few different printing techniques like letterpress and hot foiling or engraving and silkscreen you can get really impressive results.
Break the norm
While traditional cards are surely more common, business cards in non-traditional shapes like oval, cuboidal or even round are super attention grabbers. Not only does the shape stand out and with the above-mentioned designs, they will look good to both you and the receiver. Designing a business card is fairly easy, and owning one will surely make you look more professional in the eyes of your business associates. Check out for more beautiful business cards samples on Elegante Press portfolio.
Agregator najlepszych postów o designie, webdesignie, cssie i Internecie
