How Do Fonts Convey Mood?

As a graphic designer, I know that each element, no matter how small, plays a huge role in the outcome of a project. Fonts are often overlooked in favor of other elements, however, this can be a huge mistake. Fonts convey mood through many different aspects, from weight to serifs and more. Here are some of the most common tips for utilizing the right font to convey your mood.

Serifs

Fonts that contain serifs are typically more formal and academic. Think about the most popular academic font: Times New Roman. This font is used by teachers and students for its easy readability and has become the standard in many schools around the world. Using a serif outside of a school setting may result in your work coming across as uneducated or stuffy, however, so be cognizant when deciding whether or not to choose it.

Bold, Italic, Underline, and Strikethrough

In graphic design, these four options are used to emphasize something. Bold font can be used to grab someone’s attention, or possibly as a way to increase the weight of the font (if used throughout the entire project). Italics are meant for emphasis when speaking, or often for foreign words or jargon. Underline is typically used for the most important words or phrases, and strikethrough is used informally to show a change of thought. While you may not utilize these fonts often in graphic design projects, you may find yourself using them frequently in writing or longer projects.

Fancy Fonts

Many people love to use weird or fancy fonts to give something a unique voice. However, I strongly advise you to consider what kind of message you are sending. If the font is too curly, it may be difficult to read or come off as childish. If it looks robotic, it can seem campy. Try to rein in the fancy fonts and instead consider making a unique font for your project.

Weight and Size

The weight and size of fonts can also make a difference with how your work is perceived, although for a much different reason than the other factors. Let’s say you are combining two fonts for a project, one to display the title of a business and one to explain what the business does. You would want a larger font with a heavier weight for the business name, as larger text and heavier text both draw the eye naturally. The explanation should be one or two sizes smaller and a normal or light weight. This makes it easy for readers to distinguish the most important information and make the text flow. As a final note, I would shy away from increasing the weight and decreasing the size, as letters become hard to distinguish.

Fonts are a huge part of everyday life, so it is important to understand the conventions surrounding font and mood. Whether you are utilizing fonts for graphic design purposes or just for general use, take these tips into consideration when deciding which font you want to utilize.

How Graphic Designers Network

Graphic designers often struggle to network more than people in other fields. Oftentimes, a graphic designer is self-taught and freelances, so they don’t meet other graphic designers frequently. However, just as in any field, graphic designers should try to venture outside of their bubble and meet others. This could result in a job offer or just a group of professionals who look to support one-another. If you are unsure about where to start with networking, here are my tips.

Utilize Relevant Social Networks

Many graphic designers overlook social media sites that cater specifically to them. Dribbble and Fontli are places you can easily post your work for others to see. It also helps if you interact with other people, either through their artwork or through messaging. Beyond these niche sites, however, there are many other social media networks graphic designers should stay active on. Instagram is the largest visual social media and a great place to gain fans and meet other designers, as well as host a portfolio. Furthermore, Snapchat is a fun way to keep people interested in your work during the various stages of completion, and Twitter and LinkedIn are must-haves for networking.

Attend Conferences and Events

One benefit graphic designers have over working professionals is easy access to design conferences and other avenues where employers search for new talent. Even if you aren’t in college, you can still attend these events. Make sure to dress appropriately, bring business cards, and keep your portfolio updated. It is also important to set yourself apart, so try to focus on recent accomplishments or skills that many designers don’t have. Finally, be polite and feel free to ask about others, not just talk about yourself.

Join Organizations

There are graphic design organizations in every country, and if you live in a big city, there is a chance that there are a few you could join. Joining an organization and attending their events is a great way to meet others in your field. You can also use your membership as a benefit, particularly if you are very active.

Start a Blog

If you don’t have a blog by now, you should. It’s a great way for people to gain an audience and meet peers in their field. Try finding a niche that sets you apart as well. Maybe you focus on one aspect of design (such as fonts), you have a how-to guide, or you take questions from new designers and build posts based off of those. No matter what you do, try to keep a consistent schedule, link to your social media and portfolio, and list your contact info for anyone who is interested in working with you.

Graphic design is a field that benefits greatly from networking. Although you can get by without it, you will be much better off with a network of professionals to build on. If you haven’t tried some of these tips, I suggest doing so right away.

Travelling YouTubers Who Inspire Wanderlust

If you’ve ever travelled before, you know what wanderlust is. Once you arrive home after your vacation, you yearn for another trip right away. Seeing new people and learning about different cultures is one of my favorite things to do. Luckily, when I am unable to travel, I can turn to YouTube and watch videos of other people who travel. If you can’t travel right now, but still want to feel like you can, here are some of my favorite travelling YouTubers that you should watch.

Samuel & Audrey

What They Do

Samuel and Audrey travel all over the world and share their adventures. Most of their videos are “__ things to do in [city]” or trying local foods, but each video feels distinctly different. They post about 2-3 times per week, and are often in a different country each week.

Why I Like Them

When you watch the couple’s videos, you feel like you’re really there with them. I appreciate that they are just normal people. Their videos don’t come off as pretentious or elitist, and you can tell they genuinely enjoy travelling and sharing their experiences.

EatYourKimchi

What They Do

EatYourKimchi (otherwise known as Simon and Martina) are a Canadian couple that became well-known from sharing their experiences living as English teachers in South Korea. Now, they live in Japan, but they still share the same crazy meals, Insta-worthy experiences, and heartfelt content they always have.

Why I Like Them

Simon and Martina are not afraid to be completely themselves. They have tons of fun on the camera, but have also shared some of the hard times they’ve gone through, such as Martina’s struggle with the chronic condition Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which caused them to move to Japan for more accessibility. Plus, they’re Canadian, so I enjoy when they talk about growing up in my country.

Fun For Louis

What He Does

Louis started out as a gross-out channel, where he ate anything given to him. Now, he posts near-daily vlogs of his crazy adventures, and it seems like he is constantly in the midst of one. You’ll see some of the most unique experiences on his channel. Starting in August, he and his friend JP started circumnavigating the world, and you can see his many videos in this series.

Why I Like Him

Louis is fun-spirited and makes every video interesting. I can watch his videos every day and I don’t get tired of it. Since most of us can’t live the way he does, it is fun to live the adventures through him.

YouTube is one of my favorite websites, and travel channels are some of my favorites to watch. There are many more channels you should watch than what I’ve listed, but if you need somewhere to start, these channels will keep you entertained for days.

Is there a channel I missed? Tweet me @JuliaSotnykova to let me know!

Society6: A Graphic Designer's Heaven

Graphic designers often struggle to sell their own art. Either they don’t have the resources to print their designs, or they have a hard time marketing their works. It’s a problem that has been plaguing graphic designers for years. However, there is a site that has fixed this problem: Society6.

Society6 is a place for graphic designers to sell their work, and fans of fun designs to buy them. It’s fairly easy to begin selling; you simply join, verify your account, and you’re ready to sell! The process for uploading your images is also easy. You click the Sell button, and you are ready to upload.

Some artists are skeptical of Society6 for a few reasons. The first is their rights to their artwork. S6 states that even after uploading your designs, you control the rights to all of your pieces. People also tend to be concerned about the quality of their pieces, but you can easily find the pixel dimensions for a general art print, as well as the dimensions for some specialty objects.

Furthermore, you have the ability to choose which products you sell your designs on. If you only want to sell art prints, that is completely fine. If you want mugs, tapestries, throw pillows, and more with your design, you can also do that. It is completely customizable.

Finally, Society6 allows you to set the prices for your prints. That is the price you will be paid if you make a sale. However, if you want to sell your design on anything other than prints, S6 has a list of how much commission you would make per item. No matter what you sell, you’ll get paid through Paypal at the beginning of every month.

If you are a graphic designer and you don’t have your works on Society6, I strongly encourage you to consider the benefits. College students in particular love this site, and they are willing to spend a good chunk of money to get the high-quality products S6 provides. If you’re thinking about joining the site, check out their Artist Bootcamp article for advice on how to make the most of your business.

Best Cities for Graphic Designers: Beijing

So far in our series, we’ve covered two places in North America where graphic design is prevalent. For our third city, I wanted to branch out to other parts of the world. Today’s great city for a graphic designer is Beijing, China.

Many people think of China as simply a communist state, where everyone works in a factory. However, there is more to the story than that. China has a rich cultural and artistic scene, and Beijing is right at the heart of it. Considered the art capital of the country, Beijing is a great place for a graphic designer.

Let’s look at salary. Graphic designers in Beijing typically make no less than 234,000 Chinese Yen, which roughly translates to 45,500 CAD. A one-bedroom apartment in the center of Beijing costs about 1,139 CAD per month, and the cost of living aside from rent is about 685.00 CAD per month. This means you will have roughly 2,000 CAD left each month to use for entertainment or to save. Considering the cost of living is lower in Beijing than in Toronto, and you will likely have a higher salary, this can be a great place to live if you are looking to pursue your passion and save money for a few years.

There are a few things to note about working and living in China. There are very strict laws that govern the country, from censorship to control of the Internet. You also should be fluent in Mandarin, as it will be easier to get by than it would be if you relied on English. Furthermore, if you are not of East Asian descent, you may stick out in Beijing, and you could be targeted by criminals as an unsuspecting foreigner. However, if you can bypass these pitfalls, Beijing is a great place to make a nice living and save a decent amount of money, all while working in the field you want.

Three Things to Do During a Layover

Sitting in an airport for hours is everyone’s least favorite part of traveling. Sure, you may be able to catch up on some much needed sleep, but there are many other things you can do during a layover. These are just a few of my favorites that I do whenever I travel.

Explore the Airport

If you’re in a local airport there may not be much to see. However, International airports are often full of restaurants, shops, and other fun activities. Even if you plan to save your money for your destination, you can still windowshop. You may even find some ideas for Christmas presents!

Discover the City

Although most layovers are too short to leave the airport, occasionally you can get a great deal on a flight with an extended layover. If you’re interested in your interim destination, take these tickets and spend the time exploring one more city. Sure, you may not be able to visit any landmarks, but you can stray away from the tourists and find hidden gems along the way.

People Watch

As an artist, I get inspiration from everything around me, but nothing compares to people. If you create art, no matter what form, take a few hours and watch the people around you. Take notes on what makes them distinct. If you’re a writer, eavesdrop on conversations. If you’re afraid of being obvious, put in earbuds with no music on. You can find some interesting sources for your next creation.

If you hate the travel part of traveling as much as I do, try some of these tips. They may make your layover a little more enjoyable.

Travel in Your 20's Too Expensive? Think Again.

It’s a dream of many young people to see the world. Travelling in your 20’s is easier than travelling when you’re older, but many people put it off, thinking it is too expensive. Today I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to be!

EF College Break is a company that plans vacations for people like you. There are dozens of trips to go on, and the selection changes frequently. Want to see London and Paris? There’s a trip for that. Interested in exploring Peruvian wonders, including Machu Picchu? They’ve got you covered.

“But Julia,” you’re thinking, “how much will this cost me?”

Trips vary widely in price, but even the most expensive trips are just under 7500 CAD. The cheaper trips average around 4000 CAD. Sure, most college students and recent grads don’t have a couple thousand lying around, but the trips can be paid for in monthly installments that make each payment a couple hundred dollars. If you can find ways to cut costs in other areas of your life (or pick up a few overtime hours), you can definitely afford to take an EF College Break trip.