If I have unpublished letter fonts in my head, what steps do I take to bring them to a market, besides taking them out of my head to visual?
Paul Hetrick
Posted by Bob Sauls (Member # 11321) on :
I would suggest you buy the Logo, Font & Lettering Bible by Leslie Cabarga. Learn what's in that book then speak to Chuck Davis or some of the other font designers who've actually created the beautiful fonts at Letterheadfonts.com
Posted by Russ McMullin (Member # 5617) on :
Michael Gene Adkins is the man you need to be talking to. He is very sharp, extremely friendly, and knows all about fonts. http://www.thefontry.com/ Posted by Sonny Franks (Member # 588) on :
Hi Paul - I noticed this is your first post in Letterville. Where ya been hiding? If you have the skills to design your own fonts (and hand-letter them) then we need you here. Don't be a stranger and we'd really like to see the font when you finish....
Posted by Paul Hetrick (Member # 20018) on :
Thanks to those of you who respond so quickly and with sage advice...I shall follow up and keep you informed!
Paul Hetrick
Posted by Marilin Armeneau (Member # 12803) on :
You'll want FontLab - which has a bit of learning curve. I totally agree with Bob Sauls about the Logo, Font & Lettering Bible by Leslie Cabarga. It's the best!
You'll also want a copy of Learn FontLab Fast by Leslie Cabarga. When you phone his toll free number he actually answers the phone - imagine that! In a few days you'll get an autographed copy.
Dan
Posted by Russ McMullin (Member # 5617) on :
Ditto on Marilin's comments. If you render the fonts yourself you will want FontLab Studio, and Leslie Cabarga has the best documentation for beating the learning curve.
Posted by Marilin Armeneau (Member # 12803) on :
One more thing I might add is head over to http://typophile.com/ and sign up for the forum. A very knowledgeable bunch hang out there.
Dan
Posted by jack wills (Member # 521) on :
Have a lot of time on your hands and really get good at vector editing, managing the tools for making smooth curves and taking advantage of copying similar stroke features. I made a couple fonts and some of them turned out ugly to me...
Posted by Russ McMullin (Member # 5617) on :
Paul, it certainly doesn't hurt to know how to draw the vectors yourself, but it isn't absolutely necessary. If you can provide good scans or copies, someone else can do it for you.
Posted by Michael Gene Adkins (Member # 882) on :
You mean there's a book you can buy? That shows me how to use FontLab? I should have bought the book first, software second!!! hahahaha
FontLab is indeed a dangerous creature without some instructions to follow, especially if you're a novice.
But the biggest thing I see when advising others on fonts? Two things actually. First is lack of commitment. It takes a while to do a font correctly, anywhere from hours to days, maybe even weeks. My buddy James is putting the finishing touch on a mega font family he's been working on since January!!!
Second is the "where's my glory?" expectation. Let me just tell ya right now ... sometimes there ain't no glory in font design. There also sometimes ain't no money. And sadly, success is not dictated by effort. I've had fonts with the least amount of effort put into them become my best sellers, while the one I killed myself on absolutely tanks.
Oh, sure ... your font might make it to a billboard, a movie, even a national advertising campaign ... but unless you are really lucky and come up with the bloody cowpoke font or a package full of Greek faces for the fraternity and sorority crowd, more than likely you'll just be another "face" without a name.
On the other hand, if you are just putting a font together for the gratification of doing it all for you, then I think that goal is as grand and praiseworthy as any. But it will still be a lot harder than you expect. And that shouldn't stop you. Just try to have fun with it and don't let it overwhelm you. And should you have any questions, Letterville is open 24 hours a day.
Posted by Terry Bull Sign & Custom (Member # 1876) on :
Paul..took you long enough to find Letterville,you must be retired now..he he Best wishes to you and Wendy ..fixed up that checker cab yet?
Posted by David Harding (Member # 108) on :
I have half a font designed. A customer we've done quite a bit of work for wanted to use their logotype on awnings in front of their restaurant. The eight letters on their typestyle were designed just for the logo. I came up with a few more and now have thirteen letters. Then, I decided to use the same style for numerals on their other signs and now have nine numerals. Some day, I might decide to finish the thing. It's a much nicer typeface than the spastic colon stovepipe thing I came up with thirty years ago.
Posted by Charles Borges de Oliveir (Member # 3770) on :
Hi Paul, If I can be of any help feel free to give me a call or email. -Charles
Posted by Bob Sauls (Member # 11321) on :
Paul, as I said contact one of the Letterhead.com font designers. Of which Charles Borges de Oliveir ranks right up there.
