What Da Font?
So most of us have be guilty of this at one point in time in our lives. We've seen a font on a free site decide to download it. We really could careless about how it was made or what its origin is, but should we? I found this article on the AIGA website
here is the link: http://designforum.aiga.org/content.cfm?ContentAlias=%5Fgetfullarticle&aid=291450
So here is my question: Should we as graphic designers be type purists? With that being said how many of us truly tend to shy away from free font sites when we are working on a project (IE logo design, poster design, etc)? I myself will go through my entire system fonts before I go look for other alternatives, so I guess I do use some discretion, but what does everyone else think?
posted by Anonymous @ 6:14 PM
9 Comments:
I think that eventually we will have to use discretion before downloading a font, but at least now as students i think it is free reign for all. I also go through my own fonts (are they really mine???) before going to dafont.com, but if i need a truly unique font that i dont have i will do it. sometimes, on the other hand, i find myself just settling for whatever is on my computer, even if its not the font i need. Not because i want to be ethical, i just get lazy sometimes.
Jordan, this is an interesting and important topic, especially for rookie designers. It comes down to a simple yet effective cliché, “you pay for what you get”. Good Typographers spend a great amount of effort, time and energy in creating typefaces, but their not free. Most fonts I have looked at from free sites looks sloppy and amateurish. And that makes my work look sloppy and amateurish. Not to mention most free font sites are for personal use only and not for commercial use. Which means no freelance use. This isn’t the case all the time, and some free font Typographers do exceptional work, but why sift through a hundred bad fonts to find one that is good. I believe strongly in staying with established typefaces. By established meaning I am aware of who authored the typeface and some history behind it. Typefaces such as Baskerville and Futura are as perfectly beautiful today as they were the day that Baskerville and Renner created them. They have a timeless quality to them, they are going to be beautiful typefaces in two hundred years. Your just not going to get that from "Athletic Town", or whatever else is on the homepage of dafont right now. As designers if we need fonts like these, we should first try to create them ourselves. Creating original type is one of the most difficult tasks in graphic design but it is an essential part of typography. In the professional world, if it is necessary to outsource font creation, it needs to be treated just as photography or illustration and paid for. As designers it is important to support type foundries and the work they do. Two foundries that I check out on a regular basis are Emigre and House Industries. You can call me a font snob if you want, but there is defiantly a qualitative difference between a site like dafont and a site like House.
Personally, I always try to use some discretion before resorting to the free font site. I have found that most of the fonts that I have in my system or have access to at the school are better constructed and more reliable than the freebies. However, that being said, sometimes there are certain poster, logo, or ad designs that call for a font that is out of the ordinary. In this case, I would at least resort to an option of a free font site to see if I can't find that special touch my design is calling for. I guess, overall, I would lean towards using established fonts but if you don't have the one you need and as a student I know I can't afford to pay hundreds of dollars for a font, I could find myself using all resources to find something similar to what I want, font family included or not.
Professors telling me not to use fonts from free sites is like a pastor telling me not to sin. Don't do it, and no we're not going to tell you why. Just don't do it. Don't. I'm serious. Don't do it.
I think students who haven't been told not to use free fonts sites see no problem with using said fonts. However, once their favorites professor tells them it's a sin, they switch teams.
I say you should think what you want and use free fonts if you like them, or if you don't, then don't.
When working on a project I will go thorough all of my typfaces that I own or look through a type book before I would look online for a "cool font". I agree with chris in paying for a well designed typeface (they can be pricy, and how much do we really want to pay for a typeface as a student) but also I do feel there are some of the crazy fonts out there off of a free site that I might consider for a logo or related item. Now at work my boss absolutely loves Dafont.com and she will go there for inspiration when working on logo projects. Yeah I feel uses like this are ok cause they aren't "propperly structured" you do have to admit that some of them are pretty cool looking.
I'm staying out of this one.
I seriously am scared of random typefaces... They look good but then there is always something wrong with them, one way or another. I have been trying to keep it simple and picked out some of my favorites to use. If something comes by that really interests me, I might try it out. However, I just feel I should not be ignorant of the typefaces I use; i.e. what where the designed for, by whom... etc.
I believe fonts are like children, there is no such thing as an evil one. They are all good and pure on some level. After all someone has to design the typeface. Arent their intentions good? I think the integrity lies in the design, not in the process of turning it into a font. Anyone can screw this up. Make some crazy .bmp or some shit. Of course open faces or true type fonts are given preferential treatment, but every font deserves a fair chance. As far as downloading fonts simply for the fact that they are free, I find that cheap fonts supplement your library but you rarely end up using them.
The moral, good fonts float to the top.
I believe that careful decisions on fonts is an important part of graphic design. It's on the same level as proof reading. You may regret it if you don't do your homework. On the same hand is the fact that you should have a reason behind everything....the history of the font adds meaning to your design.
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