Typography

Different Typography weights by Graphicsbyte Creative

Custom Typography

Learn History & Explore!

When was the last time you sat down and actually looked at the fonts on your computer? Most people would be in the never category. But if you’re a designer this is something you may do a few times a month.

Why are fonts important?

Typography has been around for over a hundred years. Not all fonts are created equal. There are many different weights and styles to choose from. If we take a formal font like Helvetica and use it for a publication people will usually take the content seriously. But if we had a font like Cosmic Sans then the playful nature will become less serious and people may question the credibility of the content.

Understanding the difference between a Serif and a Sans Serif is also important for every project. Serif fonts have a small indentation or line at the end of each letter, number and special character. In Italian Renaissance architecture serifs were created by the tools when carving letters into stone. People thought these characteristics helped guide the eye across the document and made the type appear aligned.

The very first Sans Serif typeface was called Caslon and it was designed in 1816. Sans serif typefaces are commonly used in advertising because of how legible they are. In the early days most of these font family’s didn’t have a lowercase option. They can be seen from a distance but do well at any size.

In the digital age it’s important to understand the history of typography. This will allow more experimentation when pairing the two styles. Many studies have concluded that serif fonts don’t improve cognitive identification of a letter. They also don’t help guide the eyes of the reader. Then Sans-Serif font’s don’t cause eye fatigue and they don’t have an advantage on a computer screen. This leaves the choice down to the designer. How will you pair the fonts or use them in your projects?

How can a font help your business?

There are several ways fonts can help your business. If used correctly, they can grab your target market’s attention. Like my example above Helvetica vs Cosmic Sans. Fonts can evoke moods and emotions. When used incorrectly fonts can be difficult to read. Some have poor spacing and others have too much clutter. This usually causes people to ignore your project entirely.

Using different font weights will help with hierarchy. For example, look at the different weight of the subtitles and the body copy on this blog post. Fonts also create recall. When we design logos we use typography that customers will remember. This will make the brand stand out from the competition.

The key to a good font choice in a project is consistency. When you find a good font family stick with it and use it throughout all your marketing campaigns. This will create a professional and harmonious look. The brand will become unified and easily remembered. If you need help finding a good font for your project reach out to Graphicsbyte! Our designers will assist you on your project.

Let the Typography search begin!

Lost Type – Dozens of free display typefaces to choose from.

House Industries – Stylish paid fonts to test before you buy!

Wood Type Museum – Get examples of ancient typefaces.

Font Squirrel – Identify a typeface or find free options.

The League of Moveable Type – Download open-source options.

Brand New – Explore corporate brand identity work.

Logo Design Love – Explore logo ideas.

The Strange Attractor – This made the list to show brands on interesting devices.

Nate Williams – Hand-drawn type and other inspirations.

Creative Market – Custom typefaces and many other design materials.

Design Shack – Many articles about typography.

Google Fonts – This is an open-source option. Most are great for the web. But can also be used in print.

Behance – Link is set to “free fonts.” These fonts are made by popular designers.

Awwwards – Link set to free fonts. This place is where to find new trendy things. 

Updating Adobe CS6 In 2019

Adobe Suite CS6

Updating Adobe CS6 In 2019

Unable to download Adobe CS6 Retina Patches

It’s 2019 and I am still using Adobe CS6. I like CC but currently, the monthly fee isn’t practical with my income. So I am stretching the software to the max. This week I experienced a big software scare. My version of Photoshop CC conflicted with Photoshop CS6. Long story short I wasn’t able to open Photoshop CS6 anymore. Here is a link to a thread that talks about the issue. After doing some research I learned that this is a common issue and I needed to remove Photoshop CC and re-install CS6.

After the re-install, all my CS6 programs were working fine except they looked blurry. In 2016 Adobe released a patch for retina screens. I remember downloading this patch and it was the last official update for CS6. I spent hours reading multiple Adobe threads and found these two patch installer links.

Illustrator 16.0.3: (Broken URL – Contact Adobe for Patch)
https://supportdownloads.adobe.com/detail.jsp?ftpID=5524

Photoshop 13.0.6: (Broken URL – Contact Adobe for Patch)
https://supportdownloads.adobe.com/product.jsp?product=39&platform=Macintosh

After trying to use these links Illustrator had the following error: The requested URL /pub/adobe/illustrator/mac/cs6/AdobeIllustrator16.0.3.dmg was not found on this server.
Then Photoshop says my version of the Application Manager is corrupt. After doing some digging I learned the Application Manager is deprecated. It was turned into the Creative Cloud desktop app and this only supports CC products.

My next step was to contact Adobe support directly. After doing this I was stuck in a chat window for hours and was disconnected a few times. I never received any help so I decided to post on the Adobe community help thread. Here is a link to that. After a few hours I received some helpful articles but I already read all of them by doing my own research prior to posting.

At this point, I was feeling stuck so I decided to take a break. I went out to dinner and ran some errands. When I got home I decided to test my luck with Time Machine to see if I could restore the programs individually. Sure enough, this FIXED the problem! I had no idea I could do this with programs… (facepalm) I now have Photoshop 13.0.6 and Illustrator 16.0.3 and they both have retina support. Thank you Time Machine!

After reverting to the working version you will need to enter in your CD key to your programs. Illustrator had a popup that solved this. After about an hour of having Photoshop, I received the same error that caused this entire mess in the first place. “Renew CC subscription.” To get around this I logged out of my Adobe account and that triggered the serial number popup window for Photoshop. Currently, everything is working fine.

For others experiencing this problem try using your Time Machine before freaking out. If you know you don’t have a backup then try contacting the Adobe support team. Just expect to wait a long time before they get to your problem. I couldn’t find any third party sites with the correct links. So it’s going to be an uphill battle with Technical Support.

Creality CR-10 Hacks

Creality CR-10 3D Printer

Creality CR-10 Hacks

About the Creality CR-10

Outside of Graphicsbyte, I have a side business called Truax Designs. My business partner and I build custom sculptures and infuse them with aluminum. We call this process Karbon Kast. We have done many trade shows together pushing this new medium. People love it but as we continue to grow so does the demand to create more detailed items.

During late 2017 we picked up the Creality-CR10 3D printer. This machine has opened new doors. We can now print skeletons to help with custom sculpts and other various items. Having this technology has cut our workflows in half. However, like other equipment, there is a lot of maintenance to keep this workhorse going.  

During difficult times follow these links.

Print Websites

Thingiverse: This site is full of free designs to use with all your projects. Just make an account and go!

Printer Mods

Thingiverse: This site is full of free designs to use with all your projects. Just make an account and go!

Bed Leveling: After a while, it might be difficult to level the bed. This kit will help with that.

Filament Adapter: Using some kind spool adapter is a must when printing with the out of the box setup.

Essential Mod Set: These are all the things that make the factory print expierence better.

Creality Offical User Group: This is a Facebook community full of moders that help answer all Creality questions.

Photoshop Links

Merging Objects:  This tutorial explains how to merge two 3d layers together. 

Scaling & Rotating:  Learn how to scale and rotate 3D objects.