Page 201 - Mediapedia Mobile

Jamie while on residency in the Dunes of Cape Cod.
(The shot shows how sharp focus can be trumped by lighting, gesture, and composition.)
PART III SHARING YOUR WORK
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9:28:32 AM
DESIGN A FONT:JUST A FEW MINUTES AND NINE BUCKS TO TURN YOUR HANDWRITING INTO A DIGITAL FONT
visit www.fontifier.com You will download and print out an 8.5 x 11–inch form that has boxes for upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet, numbers, and other standard items on the QWERTY keyboard.
The world of computer graphics can be impersonal and cold. The precision of digital forms brings a uniformity and predictability that we can appreciate, but it misses the quirkiness and imperfections of the human hand.
It is an interesting process to see your familiar “hand” digitized and even more fun to be able to type with it. I then moved on to bubble lettering, but had the most fun creating a “dingbat” font of random icons and drawings. Fontifier made me want to make a font for all my moods and occasions,
or even give a personalized font to friends and family as a special gift. —JK
I’m always on the lookout for things that are slightly unexpected and slightly askew, but that bear the authentic hallmarks of an individual creator. Those qualities are bundled nicely in a remarkable piece of software called Fontifier.
time: A half an hour to fill in your font and send it in. Hours to play with what comes speeding back.
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CHAPTER 7: PROJECT IDEAS
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CASE STUDY: jamie
Step 1. fill out the template. Fill in the boxes assigned to each letter, number, or symbol with a black felt-tip pen. The quality of the pen is important, so you might want to make several copies of the form and try out different writing implements.
Jamie Kruse is a Midwestern transplant living in Brook- lyn. She makes her living as a freelance graphic designer, working primarily with art, education, and health-related nonprofits. She also has an art practice in which she and her partner create in-place art exhibitions aimed at call- ing out environmental qualities and insights. When Jamie needs a break from the screen and the city, she heads for remote locations, such as the tip of Cape Cod, to find inspiration.
Fontifier makes creating your own fonts a quick and seamless process. It is so easy and affordable that it is hard to imagine making just one. I ended up getting a little carried away and making three! I started with my “standard” handwriting.
REQUIREMENTS
gear: Mac or PC computer, Internet access, printer, scanner. space: Your computer desk.
budget: $9, to be paid by credit card.
WORKFLOW