That's What We Said!
Entries in Life Lessons (13)
Would you talk to your mother with that font?
Jumping into the world of typeface can be an adventurous yet humbling experience. So many fonts…so many possibilities to convey personality…so many chances to completely discredit any intelligent writing that may have taken place.
Here are a few tips to get you face time with a worthwhile typeface.
Your font choices should reflect the message you are hoping to deliver. Use your font to express emotion but remember to maintain your composure. For example, when typing up an invitation to your upcoming Halloween party, it would be appropriate to use something fun and spooky like Cracked in the header. But carrying that font into the body of the message may scare your partygoers into declining the invitation. Remember to use these intense fonts sparingly and underlay them with softer types to help drive message impact.
Remember that fonts have personality. Choosing the right type tends to be more of an art form than a science. Do you want your message to be the equivalent of a Hawaiian shirt with socks and sandals, unicorn pajamas, or a crisp business suit? Keeping your audience and intent in mind will help with this decision. For example, if you were looking to join a motorcycle group, which would you choose?
And finally, don’t use a font just because the name sounds like you should!
- Don’t use Papyrus just because your topic is “ancient” in some way, especially if it’s about Ancient Egypt.
- Don’t use Comic Sans just because your topic is humorous. (Better yet, don’t use Comic Sans at all)
- Don’t use Futura just because your topic deals with “the future”.
Happy Typing!
The Hard Work Paid Off!
Congrats to the Dallas Mavericks for winning the NBA Championship. It was a great series – one of the best of all time in my opinion.
There were some interesting things that happened, did you see them? For one Mark Cuban was almost unheard from. The Heat lost (I’m so happy – I picked them to lose anyway). The Mavs were a defensive force and Dirk wasn’t the best player in the clinching game.
Sports always have twists and turns, upsets and debacles so that is no surprise. The thing I liked the most from watching this all year is the Mavs created a sound plan and followed it perfectly. They made the decision to bring in a defensive minded coach, bring some tough players and make a run. They seemed very goal driven.
I think business and sports are so similar. It’s all about building a great team, understanding your competition and working toward predefined goals. It’s also about change if change is needed. The job of a coach is to make adjustments during a game or a critical part of the season. The same goes for a business owner or manager.
Companies don’t play for one season but the mindset should be similar. I’m inspired and hope you are as well.
Wherever You Are, Be There
I’m making a commitment to myself, and by default, to my loved ones. I’m putting down my iphone. I can’t believe I actually have to make a physical and mental effort to do this, but I do. After 6+ years of using a smartphone and having the immediate ability to surf the web, facebook-stalk, respond to emails, play games, check my banking activity, look at photos, text and check-in to restaurants, I’m FINALLY realizing that I’m no longer living in the moment I happen to be in. If my eyes are glued to my phone, then I’m not laughing with my son, looking at my husband while he’s talking to me, watching the road while I’m driving (yes, I’m a bad, bad person), and just paying attention to my surroundings. I was almost run over yesterday walking out of the Hunch Free Lab. Texting while walking…just like driving…is a dangerous activity! :)
We only have so much time with our family and friends. I’m vowing to be 100% actively devoted to that time, which means not reading an email while Ben and I are plotting our next home construction project or texting my best friends in Chicago when I could easily pick up the phone and share that funny story out loud. So when I limit my phone use for all the things that make it not a phone, I have a feeling I’ll start having more conversations with people I care about. I will no longer rely on their facebook status to “know” what is happening in their lives. Because technology cannot be a replacement for one-on-one interaction. We can’t let that happen.
I’m putting down my iphone. And where I am is where I’ll be.
(p.s. I’m buying this shirt for my son, Finn, who will totally appreciate my new endeavor)
p.p.s. after looking for an image for this post, I found an entire movement dedicated to iphone addicts!