Oscraps


Ask the Font Doc!

SaraTips & Techniques

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I’m back!  I took a short sabbatical from my doctoring duties, but have now returned to diagnose a new layout!

I have to admit, this case stumped me a bit more.  Perhaps it’s because I know the creator fairly well.  Perhaps it is just because I liked the font, but no ailment truly jumped out at me, so I had to examine the patient more closely.

Chris offered up this specimen for us to look at.

Now, I immediately liked this layout.  I love the chalkboard elements from Forever Joy (actually the topic of a yet-to-be-published post!).  I love the angle on the photo and the journaling reflects something that Chris is so devoted to and good at.

Like I said, since I know Chris fairly well (6 years of an online friendship…), I thought the font actually reflected her personality.  Despite her rough days, Chris usually is a pretty happy person.  She is so giving of herself and open with everyone here about herself.  I liked how the swirls reflected her free-spirit personality and her openness with others.

When I started to actually work with the file, I had to put far more thought into what and why I might change the font.

I started to focus on the idea of the keyboard in the picture and the fact that the topic of the journaling deals with communication in type.  So that’s what I turned my focus to.  I started with the most basic type font – Georgia – and hated it.  See for yourself.  It just looks out of place on the page.  Like I cut the text off of school report and glued it on.

 

So I turned to my bag o’ fonts.  Perhaps the librarian side of me causes this, but I seem to have a number of typewriter style fonts.  I tried one called 1942 Report.  I love that font, but it was far too grungy and rough for this page.  It didn’t match the tone of the journaling, nor did it have enough “heft” to it to stand out on the page.

A couple of others fell into a similar category – too grungy, too rough.

Then I landed on Traveling Typwriter.  It has the typewriter feel, but it isn’t too messy.  It has a good weight to it and still has an open feeling to it, like Chris’s journaling.  I liked this one a lot!  I must admit, I centered the subtitle and journaling – because I’m just OCD that way!  But I like this font on the layout the best of the ones I chose.

I am not sure my Font Doc choice is better than Chris’s though.  I liked hers a lot too!  This patient may not have required treatment!  (Of course, I’m still charging my consultation fee!)    What do you think?  Let me know in the comments!

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