3 Good Websites for Fonts!

Dafont (dafont.com)

Dafont.com, even though it looks shady or very untrusted, it actually has a variety of fonts that you can choose from. They show you fonts that are created by different artists and these fonts are all fonts for fun, meaning if you are going to need a font for some sort of theme that is not really that serious, this is it, this is the website you are looking for. My favorite font from the website is Zenzai Itacha.

/r/Typography (reddit.com/r/typography)

Reddit for Typography exists! Reddit is known very well because it is a blog kind of website where there is Reddit for everything, literally everything. In this Reddit I see people posting their own created fonts, you can also look for guides and videos related to typography, and people can help you by giving you ideas on the font, corrections, and even help you on your designs on some sort of project.

Psych & Psych (psychnpsych.com)

This website is really eye catching, it is inspiring for me. I really like how typography is used to give information and adding those little gif images there makes it more interesting. Since I like things related to psychology this makes it really interesting for me, typography plus psychology makes a pretty good combination apparently. This website although it has a lot of design, it is not focused on design elements but on psychology and mental health.

Research Homework Assignment – FINAL REMINDER

Due Monday, 4/11/16 — Each student is to research for three (3) websites that make good resources for graphic design students. The website can be about typography, graphic design, fonts, color or related information. For each site you are to write 1-2 paragraphs describing what the site is about and why it would serve as a useful resource for the students. This is to be posted to this website. Everyone should not use the same title, but it should be something interesting.

Remember, all homework assignments count.

Project No. 2: Chap Book

Now that the Type Book is finished, we are ready to begin the next project. We will began this project in class, but here are the details so that you can make certain you stay on track.

  • Your Chap Book project will be a 12-page booklet, including the cover.
  • It can be  autobiographical or on a topic of your choice that your interested in. Please have your topic cleared by me.
  • All of the content will be your own. You will do the writing and the photos or illustrations or graphic elements. Any content you find elsewhere must be properly created, otherwise that would be copyright infringement.
  • When you set up your pages in InDesign, the measurements are 5.5″x8.5″ (or 33picas x 51picas).
  • You will determine the number of columns for your grid system.
  • We will begin learning the anatomy of magazine pages, so you are expected to use these elements in your Chap Book design.
  • When the design is complete, you will assemble the layout for printing, then staple down the center of the spine to create saddle-stitching.
  • You may print in black and white to save money, but your design will be in color.
  • After the print version, you will be taking your design and adding interactive elements (video, music, etc) and producing the Chap Book that can be viewed on tablets as well as web browsers.

 

The project is on a tight deadline and I will try to keep you on track as much as possible. It may at times seem like I am rushing you. The print version of this project should be complete by the time we have our spring break.

Due Monday, 4/11/16: You should be finished with your cover design even though you may not have any idea about your coverlines yet—they can come later. The important thing is to have the cover design be finished with the suggested revisions from the critique. You should also begin layout for your interior pages. This means over the weekend, set up your master pages, paragraph and character styles. If you need help with these things, make use of the videos that I have already posted on this site.  This also means that you have already begun to collect the content for your project. In class on Monday we will continue to work on the interior pages.

Design Resources

http://design.tutsplus.com/

Browse thousands of free tutorials to help you learn and expand your graphic design and illustration skills. Tutsplus provides an extensive resource every design student should utilize. They also provide video-based course and ebooks. The step-by-step tutorials are easy to understand and most of the posts provide screenshots with descriptions on how to effectively achieve the “how-to.”

http://www.colourlovers.com/palettes

The colourlovers website provides a neat and organized solution to color combinations. Instead of spending hours picking, choosing, trying, and testing different shades and hues, the colourlovers website can be utilized for quick color combination solutions. Although they are user-created palettes the colors combinations can be useful when you’re under a tight deadline.

https://www.typewolf.com/

The type wolf is a great resource to utilize when you are struggling to choose fonts for a design project. The website showcases various types performed on actual websites. The designer Jeremiah Shaof shares this website as a resource for everything related to typography on the web. The Typography Cheatsheet (under ‘Guides & Resources) is an extensive and comprehensive guide to using proper typographic characters, including correct grammatical usage.

 

Type Book Assembly

There seems to be some confusion about what is included in your finished Type Book. Every type book exercise is to be included. The list that was handed out in class was based on the titles on the assignment sheets. Some of those handouts included more than one exercise. Hopefully this list will offer a bit of clarity.

  • Front Cover
  • Anatomy
  • 5 Families (5 pages)
  • Variations (6 pages)
  • Alignment
  • Alignment2
  • Leading (2 pages)
  • Tracking (2 pages)
  • Kerning
  • Type on a Path
  • Legibility (in color)
  • Type Color
  • Hierarchy
  • Grid (2 pages)
  • Pattern
  • Embellished Quote
  • Logotype
  • Putting it All Together Poster (a poster design that incorporates everything you have learned about typography. In the fifth column, the Title will be Putting it All Together. You will use columns 1-4 only for your design)

These books will be printed out and bound along the short left edge, where we left space for such details. They should have a clear vinyl front cover and a black vinyl back cover with spiral binding along the left side.

The finished books are to be submitted no later than Monday, April, 4, 2016. 

Mid-Term Exam

The mid-term exam is scheduled for Monday, March 28th. It will cover all that we’ve learned so far. Please take the time to review your notes, the reading assignments and the updates that have been posted on this website.

You may also want to download this document, Adobe Type Primer, which contains most of the information about typography that we’ve covered.

Class 9 – InDesign and Type on a Path

Most of the time during was spent learning to use the PEN TOOL in InDesign and creating type on a path. After an in-class demo, the class had an opportunity to experiment with the type on a path. The PEN TOOL in InDesign is very similar to the one in Photoshop and Illustrator. Once you learn to control the curve, it is easier to master to tool.  The more you use the tool, the better you get with it. For help, here are a few videos:

How to Use the Pen Tool in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign

 

Correct Way to Format Type on a Path with InDesign

 

Homework – Due Monday, 3/7

  • Complete the Type Book – Alignment & Alignment2 assignments.
  • Textbook ReadingType and Color, pgs 80-87. Be prepared to discuss.
  • Online Reading –  Basic Rules of Good Typography. This article will help with to reinforce the concepts we’ve discussed over the last few weeks.