Alternate Fonts

Kenn Munk designs wonderfully different fonts and dingbats that allow the user to 'build' words, or in the case of dingbats - images. This obsesion is probably due to the hours and hours spent playing with LEGO bricks in his childhood. Shhhhh... be quiet!

Munk, Kenn. Design, Typography and Graphics (2004). Design>Typography

The Benefits of a Buddy for the Solo Designer

Are you a home-based studio or freelancer? The benefits are many for the solo designer, but feeling isolated can spell trouble.

Bertucci, Janet and Julianne Nardone. Design, Typography and Graphics (2004). Careers>Graphic Design>Collaboration

Compare: Verdana and Helvetica

The Design Center and DT&G have taken pride over the years in remaining as non-platform specific as possible, and provide content that is accessible to everyone without a lot of fancy configuration and bother. With the advent of Verdana however things will change a bit. In the early '90s we switched to Frutiger as our official replacement for Helvetica. We have used it for all the anchor ('house') typography in The Design Center as well as The User Group Network. Verdana has tested out to be a very close knock-off of Frutiger so we're going to experiment with it a bit here in the web site.

Showker, Fred. Design, Typography and Graphics (2001). Design>Typography

Designless in Seattle

Getting a job in the design field may not be as easy as you think. Seattle designer Melissa Mason goes for yet another job interview in pursuit of a big agency design job.

Mason, Melissa. Design, Typography and Graphics (2004). Careers>Graphic Design>Regional>Puget Sound

Digital Photo Tent Ideas

Each year we like to highlight some of the outstanding print publication samples we've seen and ask ourselves is there opportunity for a do-it-yourself project.

Showker, Fred. Design, Typography and Graphics (2002). Design>Document Design>Marketing

Easy Type Modification Tricks

Always use elements contained in the font you're manipulating!

Design, Typography and Graphics (2004). Design>Graphic Design>Typography

Famous Names in Typography

A brief overview of the history of type.

Design, Typography and Graphics (2004). Design>Typography>History

Field Trip: Urban Typography

Kenn Munk designs wonderfully different fonts and dingbats, some of which are inspired by urban typography. Travel to his neighbourhood, Frederiksbjerg Denmark, for an insightful visit with typography of bygone days.

Munk, Kenn. Design, Typography and Graphics (2004). Design>Typography>Regional>Scandinavia

The Fourteen Biggest E-Book Design Mistakes

Roger C. Parker returns with this tutorial to help make your electronic publications attention-getting, attractive, and easy to read... all part of his recent book Design to Sell.

Parker, Roger C. Design, Typography and Graphics (2006). Design>Document Design>eBooks>Usability

Gameful Art

So, you think you'd like to get into Games development? Follow along as Sessions School of Game Art advisory board member Jolene Spry interviews Dave Taylor, independent video game producer and long-term veteran of the gaming industry.

Spry, Jolene and Dave Taylor. Design, Typography and Graphics (2006). Design>Document Design>Graphic Design>Video

Getting it to the Printer: DTP to Press FAQ

Although it takes many hours and piles books to prepare yourself for competent DTP -> Print, we've capsulized a series of comments which address some of the most frequent questions readers and workshop attendees ask. These are also based on our mentoring program, and makeover clinics as the most common problem areas we see in beginner to intermediate desktop publishers. These steps will help you as you approach each project. Each topic is by no means a complete text -- but serves to alert you of problem areas, and suggest simple entry-level solutions.

Showker, Fred. Design, Typography and Graphics (2001). Design>Graphic Design>Prepress

Going Green with your Marketing Materials

Every product that human beings create has an impact on the environment. The questions is, to what degree? How long will it last, what damage is done in creating it, and what will happen when it is no longer needed?

Proia, Jennifer. Design, Typography and Graphics (2002). Design>Publishing>Typography>Graphic Design

Going the Extra Mile in Design: Lara Modjeski VP of Creative, Tom Ford Beauty

Every wondered what it's like to hold a high-powered design position in the cosmetics and fashion industry? Enjoy this intreview by industry expert and sessions EDU instructor Laura Schwamb, and get a peek into the life of Lara Modjeski VP of Creative, Tom Ford Beauty.

Schwamb, Laura. Design, Typography and Graphics (2006). Design>Graphic Design>Interviews

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Here's a revival article from an early DTG that talks answers the age-old questions: 'What should I look for in a font?'...or 'Why does this font look so strange?'

Showker, Fred. Design, Typography and Graphics (2004). Design>Typography

How to Hire a Designer

Each year during May and June we get hundreds of calls, letters and emails from young graduates who would like to work for Showker Graphic Arts & Design or any of the Graphic Design Network web sites. This year, since we had a specific letter from a potential employer, we thought it would be cool to show graduates how we approach reviewing candidates for employment.

Showker, Fred. Design, Typography and Graphics (2001). Careers>Management>Graphic Design

Illegal Colors

Illegal colors are those colors which you can pick on your computer that will not reproduce using traditional CMYK offset printing. For example, open the Apple color wheel. Set the brightness as high as it can be and click on the aqua color at nine o'clock on the wheel. You see that bright, glowy, neon-like color? Isn't it beautiful? Too bad, it's illegal. There is no way that ordinary CMYK inks can reproduce that color. Most people get into illegal color trouble when they pick a color that looks great on the screen, and then have the job printed using process colors. They then complain to the print shop that the job looks dull, that all the brightness is gone. That's the fault of picking illegal colors. You won't get arrested but you will be disappointed in the output. The following is a list of some of the popular desktop publishing program and how they handle illegal colors.

Cohen, Sandee. Design, Typography and Graphics. Design>Graphic Design>Document Design>Color

Initial Letters

Have a lot of text to set and want to spice it up? Try using an initial letter.

Strizver, Ilene. Design, Typography and Graphics (2004). Design>Typography

Inspiration in a Bottle

The basic elements that come together to make up interesting visual design can be found echoing throughout everything around us. Those basic elements are the key to finding inspiration in the world around us.

Dickson, Gary. Design, Typography and Graphics (2005). Design>Graphic Design

Introduction to Digital Painting

Believe it or not, Adobe Photoshop can be used for more than just photo editing and design. Yes, despite its name, Photoshop is one of the ever-expanding range of tools available for digital painters, illustrators, and just plain doodlers. These tools are allowing people incredible freedom to express themselves and create fun pictures. Imagine reliving your childhood days of drawing and scribbling, without ever having to worry about making a mess, or running out of supplies. Best of all, digital art is much more forgiving when you make mistakes. No other medium would let you erase 1000 times, without harming your canvas one bit. At the other end of the spectrum, Photoshop can be used to create professional, print-quality illustrations with great efficiency. Here's a general introduction to the world of digital painting.

Priest, Jeff. Design, Typography and Graphics (2002). Design>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe Photoshop

Is Your Designer Costing You Money?

The pitfalls of using a graphic designer that is not experienced can have financial and emotional consequences. Designers must understand what software program to use for the task at hand. A designer that is not experienced can cost the customer time, money and unnecessary stress.

Reichel, Gary. Design, Typography and Graphics (2004). Design>Project Management>Graphic Design

Legibility vs. Readability

Let's take a look at legibility vs. readability in typesetting and typography. Let's see if the if the rules can be broken. Never underestimate the powers of a good sans serif!

Design, Typography and Graphics (2004). Design>Typography>Usability

Looking for Art in All the Right Places

Although this doesn't seem to be a Design and Publishing topic, it really is. Your visual experience should always be digesting new and different input. You need visual stimulation to maintain your creative edge. Looking at art is one way of doing this -- and the web offers an unlimited wealth of visual wonders. Pull out your daytimer, or your palm, and make an appointment with yourself. Take one or two hours each month and discover new visual landscapes. It will serve you well, and you'll come to look forward to those little jaunts into the visual web.

Showker, Fred. Design, Typography and Graphics (2000). Design>Graphic Design>Typography

Newsletter Make-over Clinic

One of the most frequent problem areas I encounter in the publishing field is when editors, writers and, yes even business people are expected to turn out a good newsletter. If my car isn't running right, I take it to the mechanic. I don't expect the car wash to fix the motor any more than I expect the mechanic to give it a wash and wax. Rare are the instances where the writer or editor is also a good designer and/or typographer. Yet they're almost always restricted by the software they use, the availability of good clip art or images, and the time to think about the details. I'm going to restrict myself to just the initial visual and organizational points in this critique. We could spend days talking about minutiae and the array of options involved in a full scale makeover. What I'll do is share some quick and easy areas where a simple fix will make a big difference.

Showker, Fred. Design, Typography and Graphics (2002). Design>Document Design>Graphic Design>Newsletters

Of Type and Lettering

Leslie Cabarga has been a working illustrator and designer since 1970. He has authored over two dozen books on design, and as an illustrator he has drawn covers for Time Magazine, Newsweek, Fortune, and National Lampoon.

Cabarga, Leslie. Design, Typography and Graphics (2004). Design>Typography

Pearls of Output-File Wisdom

Some pearls of file output wisdom collected over the years from friends who ride imagesetters everyday.

Johal, Jasper. Design, Typography and Graphics (2004). Design>Document Design>Prepress