I have just come across a typeface design whilst looking into Fontsmith for interest and I came across their accessible font FS Me. This typeface aimed to follow the rules on accessibility so it was legible for those with learning difficulties. When describing their font, Fontsmith (n.d.) said something wonderful: "People with learning disabilities are often treated as inferior by childlike design. FS Me is designed for adults, not children..." This is absolutely true and is an issue which needed to be addressed. Of course when you think of a typeface for those with learning difficulties, you shudder and think of the dreaded Comic Sans with its childish and mocked style. Having to use this typeface can be degrading for someone with learning difficulties because of its poor reputation, so having a typeface like FS Me from Fontsmith is a great innovation.
As well as the purpose of the typeface, from a typographers point of view I liked the small snippets of sketches they showed. These sketches showed footnotes of small amendments to the letters which is rare to see. This will help me a little in my letter sketching series, I will try and show some amendment notes in my next letter.
Fontsmith
(n.d.)
http://www.fontsmith.com/fonts/fs-me
Just a few hours after the previous letter, I felt motivated to draw this little sketch digitally. Usually the initial sketches are drawn here and there; be that in a lecture in my notebook, on a train in my little pocket sketchbook, or at a friends house on the back of an envelope while your waiting for a pizza. What I have noticed is that my motivation and drive to draw these letters and carry them through to a digital piece is growing more and more that I do them. I enjoy the process and since the letters are drawn absent mindedly here and there it does not seem a chore. But as I do more I have found they are looking to be up to a good standard. Typography has always been an interest of mine, and I started by learning how to set fonts and layouts, but drawing letterforms has always seemed daunting and an almost impossible task, but now I can see I am actually doing it, almost with surprising ease. It is this realisation that I am capable of doing it which strives me to keep going and improving. And now I find myself drawing original but realistic letterforms for fun as a way to get away from other work that is getting a bit much. So I have found myself caught up in a snowball effect where I am drawing more and more letters which improve with each one, plus I am loving the process.
Another letter in a series of sketches aimed to improve my abilities with designing type. With this letter I sketched it and digitally drew it much quicker than the previous letters which I will see as a good improvement which could help me move onto creating a range of letters in the time it took me to create one. Hopefully the speed I produce these letters will quicken to the point I can create a font weight in a reasonable amount of time.
The next instalment in my letter sketching series. Here I explore various font families and I learnt a lot from this practice. I got a better eye for detail when working with the lighter serifs and slight rounded corners on the sans.
Another quick sketch in my learning letters series. A rough sketch in my notebook, taken into illustrator and refined.
