I saw this in front of an abandoned storefront on King Street in Charleston, South Carolina.
]]>I saw this in front of an abandoned storefront on King Street in Charleston, South Carolina.
]]>Yesterday, I was looking at solving a repetitive production problem by using a script in InDesign CS4. (I haven’t upgraded to CS5 yet.) I dove into scripting in InDesign to automate the process.
Most people have never opened the scripting panel (Window>Automation>Scripts). But in the scripting panel are sample scripts in Applescript and Javascript. I noticed a script titled “CornerEffects.applescript.” This struck me as odd, because there is a “Corner Options” command in InDesign. What made this script different? I opened it and got a dialog box…
The top part of the dialog box essentially provides the same options as the “Corner Options” command. And the offset box allows you to adjust the size of the corner. But what about the Pattern combo box? It defaults to “all points,” but take a look at the options available: first point, last point, second point, third point, odd points, even points and more…
Left: The starting shape. Middle: Rounded corners on odd points. Right: Beveled corners on first two points.
When applied to a box, it gives you the ability to round or bevel selected corners. Sometimes, it takes a little trial and error to figure out which point the “first” point is. The first point usually seems to be point in the upper left and then selection moves counterclockwise.
You can also use the odd and even points patterns on a star shape. “Odd points” effect the inside points. “Even points” modify the outside points.
Left: The starting shape. Middle: Rounded corners on odd points. Right: Rounded corners on even points.
I’m assuming this is still here in CS5 and I don’t have a copy of CS3 handy to see if its there, too. But if you need to round select corners on a shape in InDesign, this is a time-saver. (And check out the rest of the sample scripts, too.)
]]>So I waited. A few weeks ago, I got a note from my friend @jamesmiller telling me about a new app that allows you design type on your iPad… Intrigued, I downloaded and started playing around with it.
iFontMaker is an application by 2TTF that allow you to design fonts on your iPad. 2TTF boasts that you can make a basic font in five minutes…
With iFontMaker, you draw out the letters with your finger. You can choose from four brush types - brush, pen, pencil and line segment. You can set guides for the baseline, x-height, cap-height, ascenders and descenders. New in version 1.5 is a nudge tool that allows you to reshape strokes. And the move tool was updated to allow rotation and movement of individual strokes.
The application has two tabs: Glyphs and Compose. Glyphs is where you draw the characters. Compose is where you can view and create test samples. (You can also adjust the global letter spacing under the Compose tab.)
;)
Screenshots of iFontMaker. Left, main glyph editing interface. Right, editing a path with the move tool.
When you are done with your creation, you upload the design to their servers. They generate the font and post a sample page with a download link. (Check out the sample page with my designs SquarePad and LilyPad.)
It really is very easy to create a font this way. And I imagine their 5 minute estimate is probably correct. But there are some significant limitations…
The app is simple to use, but that comes with tradeoffs.
Character Width. My main issue with iFontMaker is that there’s currently no way to adjust the width of individual characters. This creates some problems with more complex designs. I’d love to be able to adjust a right side bearing to address spacing issues. But right now, you can’t.
Not precise. It’s impossible to be precise with the touch screen interface. Version 1.5 adds a straight line tool, but it’s still somewhat clumsy.
Revising is very difficult. In an effort to keep the interface simple, there are limited editing capabilities. Version 1.5 allows you to move strokes around. And you can scale glyphs using the pinch/zoom multitouch gesture. But there is no eraser. And the nudge tool seems very difficult to control. Basically, if you aren’t happy with the glyph you’ve drawn, your best bet is often to erase it and start over.
Pan and Zoom. There is no way to zoom out or pan around the canvas. This isn’t a problem for most characters, but for some characters with accent marks, it’s difficult to add them above the letter without the ability to zoom out or pan up.
Despite it’s limitations, iFontMaker is fun. Lots of fun. And it also gets a lot of things right.
Support for a large character set. iFontMaker allows you to build fonts with large character sets in many languages including Japanese, Greek, Cyrillic and Thai. Great support out of the gate and the developers indicate that they are willing to add more.
The upload process. When you upload your font to 2TTF, they provide a nice display page and a link to download. But they also provide a link to a web font file. Really nice idea and it works pretty well.
The guides. I like the way the app allows you to set your x-height, ascenders, descenders globally. It’s a detail that very easily could have been overlooked. I only wish I could set the character width on each individual character.
I created a pair of fonts with iFontMaker: SquarePad and LilyPad. Both fonts were built quickly. Although both required a good bit of fine tuning.
You can download both designs from the 2TTF sample pages. (Note: Every time you upload a new version, you must republish the file to let others download it.) I wish the web addresses were more than just random numbers and letters, but I understand why they chose the system they did.
So can you create your own font in five minutes? Yes, I think you probably could. However, it will take you significantly more time and practice to create something that you will want to use. And lots of trial and error.
iFontMaker is a fun app. If you are interested in type or design and have an iPad, it’s definitely worth the purchase price. The developers have already provided two updates that have significantly improved the app, so I have every hope that they will continue to improve the application.
You can buy iFontMaker from the App Store for $7.99. (Although as of the publish date of this post, it is on sale for $6.99.)
]]>Download Power Grid and Power Grid Oblique (OpenType format, ZIP archive)
While converting it to OpenType, I was able to add an oblique version. Something that wasn’t really possible in Fontstruct. Hopefully, it makes Power Grid more useful as a family. (Note: Both fonts start with an SbB prefix to differentiate them from the Fontstruct originals.)
Oddly enough, Power Grid works well in both “high-tech” applications and constructivist-inspired retro designs. I’ve included some samples below that are directly inspired by some constructivist poster designs.
;)
;)
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Fontstruct is basically the old Fonts page and contains samples of all my favorite Fontstruct creations. Download Fonts will contain OpenType fonts that you can download directly from this site and install.
Right now, Download Fonts contains only Valdes Poster Sans. But that will be changing this week. I’m going to start taking some of my Fontstruct releases, polishing them and releasing them as OpenType formatted typefaces.
Fontstruct is a great site for building modular typefaces. But it is somewhat limited as a method of distribution. Having to create an account and login is a barrier most people aren’t willing to cross unless they really, really want to download a creation. And while the fonts downloaded directly from Fontstruct have gotten significantly better with the latest update, they still are a little bit buggy. Hosting them on Sketchbook B will make them more useable for the vast majority of users.
I’m still going to leave everything over at Fontstruct, too. First of all, I’m not going to transfer all of my creations. Only the ones that I feel would have broader appeal. And second, Fontstruct is an amazing site and resource. There is a wonderful global community present there that is both supportive and challenging. I will obviously continue to build lots of new Fontstructions. (To avoid confusion and to differentiate between the FontStruct versions and the OpenType versions, the OpenType versions will have an SbB prefix.)
This week, look for an OpenType version of Power Grid. Followed by new versions of Woodrow and possibly Cerealbox. Plus, I hope to have some all-new OpenType goodies for you before the summer is over.
I’m still rewriting and reworking some sections of the site to go with the new structure. So if you see something that looks incomplete or out of place, that’s because it probably is… but everything will be up-to-date soon.
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One of my favorite Fontstruct creations is Woodrow. I always wanted to create a lighter version and finally got around to it. Woodrow Light is a condensed typeface. It’s intended as a display face, but surprisingly, it works well in smaller sizes as well.
I sketched out Dradis for a logo I was working on. And while I liked the design, it was completely wrong for the client. I ended up repurposing it for a logo contest (I know, they are evil…) and lost. So I offer it up here in hopes that someone will love this oddball creation.
My own goal on this design was to maintain a degree of legibility while having no space between letters. And I wanted to keep the design as simple as possible. The resulting design uses only 6 block shapes and most of the letters are contained within a 3x5 grid.
Geeky note about the name: As the design developed, I noticed that many of the letters had slanted corners to differentiate them from their neighbors. And it reminded me of how every sheet of paper on Ron Moore’s reimagined Battlestar Galactica had the corners cut off at a 45 degree angle. So when I got ready to name the font, I looked for a random reference from the show. DRADIS is the Colonial Fleet’s equivalent of RADAR and the name seemed to fit the design.
I sketched out this basic concept while waiting in a doctor’s office. The concept was to take inspiration from something difficult to build with Fontstruct - a script. I created a version called Baseline, but after a few months, I revisited the concept and ended up with Pseudoscript. Changed the proportions. Rethought some of the letterforms. Got rid of the clumsy upper case.
And I’m pretty happy with the resulting typeface. It’s readable and distinctive. I recommend using the low line character to connect words. I’ve added some starting and ending characters as well. (Some letters look a little strange starting a word.)
]]>I find that the iPad is great for bringing to meetings and sharing ideas with colleagues or clients. I was recently at a meeting and unexpectedly needed to show a logo redesign I had been working on. Luckily, I had my iPad and a PDF and was able to pass around the tablet for the committee members to review the concept.
I also use PDFs for many of my lectures. And while I’ve used Keynote on the iPad, I’d still love to be able to present with PDFs. And it would be helpful to keep a portfolio on my iPad to share with prospective clients. There are apps like Good Reader (Warning: iTunes link) that allow some of this functionality, but what’s missing is an app to allow this to function seamlessly.
There are lots of apps that allow you to read PDF files or view image files. But I think Adobe could take it further and specifically target the needs of creatives. Here’s what I think the app would need to do to be successful:
Other features that would be helpful, but wouldn’t need to be present in a 1.0 version…
Looking at the features above, anyone could make the app. So why should Adobe build this app?
Well, I think it is an app that works for their target audience. Photographers could use it to show images to a client. Designers can use it for their portfolio or for discussions with clients. And it could double as a lightweight PDF presentation application for creative of all types. It enhances PDF as a presentation platform, could provide extensive support for their native formats like PSD and AI and possibly connect with their online services. Plus I think it would be a natural fit for Adobe to offer to the creative community.
So far, Adobe’s iPhone and iPad apps have been free. Photoshop.com Mobile and Adobe Ideas are both offered as free downloads. I’m sure Adobe sees this as a service to their clients and a way to gain some positive PR.
But personally, I’m willing to pay something for an app that can do everything listed above. Apps with similar feature sets are priced in the 2.99 to 9.99 range. I’m sure Adobe could find a large audience with a price tag somewhere in the middle of that range.
]]>I’m really impressed with Keynote for the iPad. I was able to create a very simple presentation on the iPad in about 30 minutes. It’s intuitive and very easy to use.
Please note: This version of Keynote cannot do everything that the full version of Keynote can do. There are limitations - typeface selection, limited customization of templates, difficulty importing existing presentations. And the way you sync documents is exceptionally clumsy.
If you are wanting to build an amazingly complex presentation, you’ll need to do it on the Mac. If you need to access an existing library of Keynote or Powerpoint presentations, I’d stick to using the laptop. But for building (or importing) a simple presentation, it’s nice. And considering that it’s $10, I’d say it’s well worth the price.
The VGA adapter looks pretty simple. Plug it into the dock connector, connect the VGA cable and you are good to go… And for the most part, it is that simple. Be aware that when working from Keynote, video projection doesn’t start until you hit the play button.
When the iPad is in presenting mode, your slides show through the projector and the iPad has a simple forward/back control. And you can simply tap to advance. If you push and hold on the iPad touch screen, a faux “laser” pointer pops up.
My only complaint is that the slide thumbnails are so small. In my classroom, the screen is behind me and over my head, so I occasionally had to turn around to see what slide was being presented.
A screenshot of the presentation screen for Keynote on the iPad.
Will I do it again?
Absolutely. I use relatively simple presentations for my classes. So Keynote is perfect for how I’m using it. Plus not having to lug my laptop to class is nice. I’m optimistic that Keynote will continue to improve on the iPad… But as a lightweight presentation setup, the iPad is absolutely a winner.
]]>The result is Infield, a display typeface contained within the shape of a baseball diamond. The diamonds overlap and interlock to create a unique pattern.
The working title of Infield was “Baseball Diamond.” As I was working on it, the “Fabulous Baseball Diamond” popped in my head. If you aren’t familiar with the Fabulous Baseball Diamond, you need to watch the Great Muppet Caper which features Kermit and his friends from the Happiness Hotel trying to stop thieves from stealing the Fabulous Baseball Diamond from the Mallory Gallery. That finale served as the inspiration for the second sample, a poster for the fictional gallery exhibit.
;)
You can download Infield at Fontstruct for free. And of course you can download any of my other Fontstruct creations from the Sketchbook B page.
]]>It’s great and very handy, but you can only see one link at a time. And if you are trying to scan a document quickly to find low-res or RGB files, you still have to click on each link. Thankfully, Adobe offers another option. On the Links Panel, go to the flyout menu and select “Panel Options.”
Select “Panel Options” from the flyout menu…
…and you can fully customize the appearance of your Link Panel.
Here you can customize what information is shown in the Link Info Box AND you can add information to show up in the Link Panel itself. Very handy for scanning a document quickly.
Link Panel showing color space and effective resolution.