Because of technology, becoming a type designer is no longer as difficult as getting into an ivy league school.
"For type to work effectively, it is not enough to simply draw an alphabet, rather, it is necessary to know how the letterforms will function together on both aesthetic and utilitarian levels."
It's fun to be able to invent your own typeface. However, trained type designers are capable of creating ones that are both functional and can stand over time.
Dedication is what it takes to be a good type designer. Again, thanks to technology it's easy for anyone to experiment and design typefaces.
"Lettering is the design of one-of-a-kind, often limited-use typographic or calligraphic compositions."
The following are passages from interviews that really stuck to me:
Marian Bantjes
One thing she talked about was looking at what other countries, outside of North America, are doing with design and that we can learn from them.
I agree with her train of thought that artists can design, and be designers.
"It's very difficult, but very important to move beyond "style", and just make new forms and new ways of communication."
It is indeed, very difficult to not think about and to move beyond what "style" is. Many of us, myself included, can get caught up in defining and creating a style that sets us apart from the rest. However, style alone isn't what sets you apart.
"I don't like the term 'problem-solving' at all, but I do like to figure things out--often this means adding complexity to the process in order to get a surprising result."
"Art and creative thinking is something I really think will become increasingly valuable in the years to come..."
Jim Smith
Q: How difficult is it to design in this raw manner for companies that are trying to appear professional?
A: It depends how brave the company is. If they have confidence in their products and services, then they can afford to be more daring with their design. Small companies have less to lose, so are willing to take bigger risks.
"Doing something that the client doesn't expect will earn you the freedom to be adventurous next time. If you are cautious and do what you think the client is expecting, there's a good chance he'll want you to play it safe every time."
I connected with pretty much everything Ray Fenwick talked about in his interview. It might be because he's also an illustrator.
Jonathan Hoefler talked about type piracy and how it's impacting the industry. More people are being conditioned to believe that type should be free. Or, they just find places where they can get type for free whether good or bad.
I think that as young designers still in school we need to think about the choices we make when it comes to where we get our type and even images that we use for our projects.
Students think it's ok to just rip off someone else's graphic, take a typeface they didn't purchase, or use the image trace tool and call it their own.
We need to develop good and ethical habits now so that in the real world we don't end up supporting a system of theft and harm towards other creators.
Bernard Maisner
"...most hand-lettered looking fonts are horrid fast-food versions of hand lettering."
