Fonts… The Other “F” Word
February 15, 2007
The use of unique, non-standard fonts is becoming one of those things that drives me a tiny bit insane. I have clients who will provide me with a PSD (PhotoShop original file), I open it up, prepare to make changes, click inside the existing text and am met with this big, ugly error that says “Font not available - will replace with a substitute font” (not quoted word for word here…) and poof, the old font is gone and is replaced with some sort of makeshift, non-matching font.
So, what is with this desire to use non-standard fonts? I understand that you want to set yourself apart and be unique and have a brand… yada yada… To assist me in keeping my hair its natural brown color for a little while longer, here are two font tips:
(1) Save the font. If you get another graphic design company or web design company to do your work and they use the original, non-standard font, request to have a copy of the font file. You have a right to have a copy of that font so that you can make changes in the future. If they do not provide font files, ask for a standard font.
(2) Opt for the “au natural.” Perhaps you can settle on Garamond or Verdana as the font you use inside of your graphic. Keep in mind that a lot of fonts will not translate over the internet. For example, if you design something on your computer and you use a unique font in the body of your web text, that font will translate itself into a standard font when I view it on my computer.
If you are reading this post and are thinking to yourself, “Unique, non-standard fonts… they exist?!” then have I got some goodies for you! Here are a few sites where you can download some pretty cool fonts:
Font Freak: http://www.fontfreak.com/
1001 Free Fonts: http://www.1001freefonts.com/index.htm
Download Free Fonts: http://www.downloadfreefonts.com/
Acid Fonts: http://www.acidfonts.com/index.html
Remember, use these sparingly and primarily for print jobs. Otherwise, you will be met with great disappointment when your friends or colleagues can not read your material due to the skewing or disappearing text.
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