The Zen of Fonts

Chad Chelius Mike Rankin

This article appeared in Issue 14 of CreativePro Magazine.

Let’s start with a little mental exercise. When you’re ready, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and think about fonts. Picture yourself working with them as you normally do: browsing fonts, choosing and applying them, and so on. Go ahead, we’ll wait here till you’re done.

Finished? Okay, what was it like? Did you feel cool, calm, and clear… or foggy, frustrated, and frazzled? Many designers experience the latter because working with fonts is a hugely important topic, something a lot of us have to do all day, every day. And while it can bring you joy, there’s a lot to know—and a lot that can trip you up. And even if you’re very confident in your font knowledge and abilities, improving them just a smidge can pay big dividends in terms of time savings and satisfaction with your work.

So, in this article, we will be your guides to achieving a state of peaceful calm, or zen, when working with fonts. We’ll start with a look at the nature of fonts and then dive into using them in your Adobe apps. We’ll look at syncing fonts from Creative Cloud, wielding the controls your app font menus offer, and using some third-party tools for doing even more with your fonts. Along the way, we’ll highlight lots of resources that will help you always choose a great font, find any obscure character, and even make your own fonts using InDesign, Illustrator, or Photoshop.

By the end of our journey, you will have all the tools to become a zen master of fonts. Let us begin.

This article is for members only. To continue reading, please sign in, or sign up for a membership today. Thanks for supporting CreativePro!