JENN McKINLAY: I've known Paige for so long, I actually can't remember how we met or when we met. I'm just grateful that we did. And now that geography is our friend, too, she lives close enough to do lunch whenever one of us is going sideways in our writing or we just want to have a few laughs (she's very funny) before we get back on the wordsmith chain gang.
Without further ado, here's Paige!
PAIGE SHELTON: I chuckled when someone retweeted a tweet about my upcoming
book, COMIC SANS MURDER. They said, “This is perfect! I’ve often wanted to kill
someone for using Comic Sans.”
Yes, Comic Sans tends to get the short end of the Bic. In
fact, Twitter once tweeted that most server space complaints are first about
airlines, second about Comic Sans, and third, Justin Bieber.
 |
| Available December 5th! |
Poor font. I didn’t understand such derision. A little
research was in order.
Comic Sans was created in 1995 by Microsoft designer Vincent Connare. In fact, he was trying to right a wrong. He had been given a beta version of Microsoft Bob, a software package designed for kids. The package included a dog, Rover, and message balloons with messages written in Times New Roman. Well, that seemed unfitting, so Vincent set out to create something more . . . fun, I expect. I think he nailed it.
Comic Sans was created in 1995 by Microsoft designer Vincent Connare. In fact, he was trying to right a wrong. He had been given a beta version of Microsoft Bob, a software package designed for kids. The package included a dog, Rover, and message balloons with messages written in Times New Roman. Well, that seemed unfitting, so Vincent set out to create something more . . . fun, I expect. I think he nailed it.
Sadly, Comic Sans wasn’t ready in time for Rover, so instead the font was
released with Windows 95, and all Helvetica broke loose. New life was breathed
into bake sale flyers and birthday party invitations everywhere. For a while,
people loved it. I think most people actually still like the font, but maybe
akin to liking Justin Bieber, it’s just not a cool thing to admit. (Or is it
cool to admit you like Justin Bieber? Well, you know what I mean.)
To me, Comic Sans is like Helvetica’s slightly tipsy cousin,
the fun one who laughs too loud when they’re out in public, but is still
loveable. The cute one we all just smile and shake our heads at.
JENN: I love Comic Sans, then again, I think I might be the tipsy cousin. LOL!
Anyway, as research sometimes will do, I felt a need to look
deeper. What if I could design my own font? Surely, it would be a creative
challenge, and if I came up with something good, that no one could resist using,
maybe I could trademark it and make everyone pay me money to use it. It would
have a real Impact, and I’d be rich!
It’s a real thing. People really do design fonts. Sadly,
it’s not a quick and easy undertaking. The process can be long, and it takes
quite a bit of thought. You have to consider where the typeface will be used,
the people who will be reading it, blah, blah, blah. Clearly, probably not my
Forte.
However, it’s also an artistic pursuit. You begin with your hands, your handwriting, and your creative genius. You digitize that genius and work from there. After much experimenting with all the letters, in both cases, and all the symbols, you just might have your own font.
However, it’s also an artistic pursuit. You begin with your hands, your handwriting, and your creative genius. You digitize that genius and work from there. After much experimenting with all the letters, in both cases, and all the symbols, you just might have your own font.
Let’s say you want to protect your font, there are ways. Those copyright and patents options fall under something called The Black Letter Law. Isn’t that a cool name for a boring old law? I would like to write a book with that title someday.
And then, marketing isn’t easy, but it’s doable. There are type resellers that sell fonts to graphic design companies. Sadly, I didn’t get the impression there was a lot of big money there. Oh, well, maybe I’ll win the lottery.
My artistic senses tingled a little at the idea though, so I grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil. And, here it is, my one letter, one case font. Dragonbite. I won’t be seeking any special protection for it, so feel free to use at will. I signed it just to give it that extra-special Flair.
And then, marketing isn’t easy, but it’s doable. There are type resellers that sell fonts to graphic design companies. Sadly, I didn’t get the impression there was a lot of big money there. Oh, well, maybe I’ll win the lottery.
My artistic senses tingled a little at the idea though, so I grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil. And, here it is, my one letter, one case font. Dragonbite. I won’t be seeking any special protection for it, so feel free to use at will. I signed it just to give it that extra-special Flair.
JENN: I love it! I see a big Futura for you in font design, Paige!
COMIC SANS MURDER is the third book in my Dangerous Type mysteries. It will be available December 5.
Thanks to Jenn McKinlay, all the amazing Jungle Red Writers, and everyone reading today for letting me stop by.
JENN: Delighted to spend time with you, as always, Paige. And now, Reds and Readers, what's your go to font? What font do you despise? Or are you scratching your head, asking "What's a font?"
Most of my research came from these articles:
