There are very few type design jobs out there. Not counting interns only a few people get hired to do type design each year. Regarding freelance, I’ll tell you what everybody told me: either design at least a dozen great fonts of your own or go to grad school and then maybe people will think about giving you some work. This is not an easy field to break into!

Why repost the exact same question?

http://typophile.com/node/70320

But this got two, no three replies - reinforcing bad behavior. ;-)

Could try this approach... http://gizmodo.com/5538241/the-smartest-way-find-a-new-job-on-google

Ah comments...thank you for posting!

James...thank you for the solid advice...it is tough but life is tough...and life as an African American web/graphic designer is tough...and life as an African American self taught type designer in Atlanta is tougher...I think you know where I'm going with this...I'm going to try the design a dozen fonts approach and see where it takes me...plus tap a new market that is ignored by the type design community.

Aluminum...I reposted this topic because no one heard me the first time...it's like the saying about the squeaky wheel getting the oil...I gotta stand up and be heard otherwise no one will listen or take me seriously...

Sii...Quite clever...I'm looking into that right now...the question is how to make it work for my purposes...

I think your background could be an advantage given the lack of minorities involved in type design. You might also want to consider a trip to LA, specimens in hand, for TypeCon - to talk to other type designers starting out as well as foundries and resellers.

Thank you Sii...No one has ever put it to me that way...

I was at the TypeCon in Atlanta and met and talked to a few people but unfortunately this year I'm just coming back from the Caribbean when TypeCon L.A. is happening...but that's another way of looking at getting myself and what I have to offer out there...this recession has been tough but hell I'm a Gen-Xer...our generation has seen more than it's share of recessions...I guess that's what give me resilience as well...

I just feel the need to say this: you need to stop using so many ellipses (...) as their constant use makes your paragraphs/sentences hard to read continuously. Thanks. :)

Thanks Steve...but I think I may stick to the ellipses...maybe I could find something you could stop doing online...

Nah...It's not my style. Have a good day. :)

Must confess... I too am an ellipses man.

So was Faulkner.

No spaces between or before or after an ellipsis? That looks like a mistake. You can use ellipses a lot, if it is consistent with your style. But if you use them everywhere, it looks like you don't know how to punctuate. ...IMHO

Nobody is going to give you a job doing type design, although there IS a demand for font production workers.
So to make a living at type design you will have to become an entrepreneur.
I suggest you leave the USA (see this article, page 17), for a place where people of colour suffer less discrimination, where there is universal healthcare, &c., &c, and live away from a big city, where there is a low overhead and a decent standard of living--as long as high speed internet is available! Then you will be able to make a living from selling fonts on MyFonts, as you build up your catalogue of type designs.
As for racial discrimination, you may find it looking for a job, but not when someone is licensing a font, because who designed it is not generally part of the business decision, so again, be an entrepreneur, don't look for a job.
Where would you like to live?

Oh Bill, you are so predictable!

@Sasabonsam
How many types have you designed? If you want to get work you have to show some serious samples. Also, how fast do you work? What is your hourly fee? If I gave you 256 characters to draw how long would it take?

You need to have some experience under your belt and at least one really first-rate typeface if you hope to get hired as a type designer. I don't think I'm seeing the latter at http://type.akofa.com/. A symbol/pi typeface isn't really helpful in proving type design ability, and the letter shapes in "Steady Rockin" show a lot of very beginner mistakes. (I'd be happy to give you some more detailed commentary on that if you like — contact me if interested.)

Cheers,

T

>a place where people of colour suffer less discrimination

Well, type designer Joshua Darden seems to be thriving in Brooklyn.

>Oh Bill, you are so predictable!

Trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, brave, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent :)

I can't speak to the discrimination issue, but I concur that being self-employed and at the low end of the economy is a lot easier in countries where there's real socialized medicine, like Canada. Though if you're young and healthy you may have less need of the medical system.

Cheers,

T

Kwesi,
I would also suggest you extend some of your African alphabet work to full Latin coverage (if you haven't yet) and showcase a multiple-script type family in your promotional material. And change your handle here from sasabonsam to your name.

> think your background could be an advantage
> given the lack of minorities involved in type design.

I don't know the statistics, but my impression is that there's a lack of minorities in the entire field of graphic design. This could work to your advantage, especially in corporate jobs. On several occasions over the years I've had people at corporations ask me if I could suggest minority candidates for design jobs, because they weren't getting minority applicants.

As others have said, you may find it difficult finding a job doing just type design, so you might end up having a day job in a design department and then do type design evenings and weekends until you build up enough business that you can do it freelance full time.

Well...
Seems like a lot has been said from such a small question. Before I begin to answer or even discuss further any of the opinions given I'd just like to say thank you for your comments however I'm not surprised by some answers.

@fontsquirrel - You're an ellipses man as well... I guess that's why we get along so well...

@kentlew - Faulkner was too... hmm, how Southern Gothic...

@William Berkson - I do know how to punctuate... I just choose not to on such and informal medium like a message board post... If this were a book or speech that's a different story. Plus...I keep hearing Joshua Darden's name whenever minorities in type design are discussed...is he the only visible African American in this profession?

@Nick Shinn - I never expected anyone to give me a job...I was asking a curious question to the "public-at-large"... I've worked very hard to get and keep my jobs and clients... so I guess have that "entrepreneur" thing down. As for your suggestion to leave the country... I'm not going anywhere...although I hear Canada is nice, Atlanta is fine for me...I guess I will just have to work harder and about facing racial discrimination...you can still be turned down when licensing a font especially when you make face to face presentations of your work to those who make the business decisions at creative studios, agencies, newspapers and the like...but that will not stop me...

@terminaldesign - I'm at 5 typefaces so far...2 set to release later this year. And the answers to the other questions can be answered if you have work for me and we sign a contract...

@Thomas Phinney - I shall let my work in the coming months and years speak for my type design ability...Cheers

@David Sudweeks - About the handle...if you know what it means to me I might consider changing it...

@James M - That is a bigger issue (Cultural diversity in Graphic Design) that has been discussed and somehow fades away every time it is brought up... click here to find out more...But the part time designer/ part time type designer is where I am right now...so we'll see where it goes...

>I do know how to punctuate

When folks come on Typophile with eccentric capitalization or punctuation, they are almost always recently out of school. And no successful pro that I have seen on Typophile does this kind of thing. Why? I think it's because they understand that not following the conventions puts a distraction or barrier in the way of the reader. To the writer it may look adventurous, but to many readers it is off-putting, and signals being wet behind the ears, or a crank.

>is he the only visible African American in this profession?

Darden is certainly the most prominent in type design. I don't know him and don't know if his ethnicity had any affect on his career. You could ask him.

Thank you William.

>I do know how to punctuate

The ability to communicate professionally very important, you really should focus your thoughts into sentences. Writing everything as if it were a livejournal entry is only going to hurt you in your job hunt.

So while the original question I asked about is ignored... we talk about punctuation? I see. Thank you Jackson.

<<@terminaldesign - I'm at 5 typefaces so far...2 set to release later this year. And the answers to the other questions can be answered if you have work for me and we sign a contract...>>

...cart...horse...cart...horse...

So while the original question I asked about is ignored...

Everyone else did an excellent job of answering your question.

I don't think you have the right to tell me if my question has be answered adequately. So I'll make the next question plain.
Do you have a problem with me asking this question or do you have a problem with me?

I just read through this thread again.

After asking about different scenarios for getting work as a type designer, you said:

"Thank you in advance for any answers..."

Then at the end of the discussion, after many people have offered you advice, you finish with:

"I don't think you have the right to tell me if my question has be answered adequately. So I'll make the next question plain.
Do you have a problem with me asking this question or do you have a problem with me?"

Face it dude the problem is you.

er...chip...shoulder...chip...shoulder...chip...sh

As far as I have seen, race has not played an issue in design-related vocations (note: "as far as I have seen."). Three black friends who graduated with me, one from Haiti, got jobs right out of school. Most people in the design community are liberal and I've never seen it become a problem.

I don't think you have the right to tell me if my question has be answered adequately. So I'll make the next question plain.
Do you have a problem with me asking this question or do you have a problem with me?

As terminaldesign mentions above, it seems as though the "race" issue you spoke of may not be of race, it may just be your attitude in general. When I made the comment about your overuse of ellipses being distracting, this entire thread proves my point. If you're going for quick typing, adding extra dots every sentence actually slows you down, and slows the reader down. As a type designer, you should know how to properly use punctuation, etc.

"I don't think you have the right to tell me if my question has be answered "

You seem a little overly defensive/antagonistic.

It's the internet, so par for the course, but keep in mind if your goal is to find a job in the type industry, a good chunk of that industry is here on Typophile.

I don't think so.
Most of them don't have a thick enough skin.
Others will post in PR mode, but refrain from discussion.

@terminaldesign and @StevenAcres - I was actually addressing jackson's comment but forgot to put his name toward the attachment...my attitude is fine actually. And better now that I've got the answers to my questions and learned a few things about this forum in general and its participants. Thank you again for your comments.

@aluminum - I'm not really overly defensive just passionate and not willing to take $h!t from just anybody.