Trajan, Gill Sans (both stretched)

You're a Graphic Designer who doesn't know Gill Sans or Trajan?

Skyfein.....thank you so much! I knew it, I just couldn't get my fingers wrapped around it!

.

Nick Cooke.....I'm sorry, I had no idea that Graphic Designers should know all 100,000 + font names, looks, etc. FYI - I'm a VECTOR based Graphic Artist, I don't do a lot of work that consists of font types!! Thanks for your input though, very helpful! lol

I'm sorry Brian, I just naturally assumed that most Graphic Designers would have a rudimentary knowledge of one of the main tools of the trade like a mechanic would be familiar with a spanner.

Nick, that was my first reaction, as well!

But then I reminded myself that no one -- not even me -- was born knowing the curves of Gill Sans. We were completely ignorant of it for our entire lives, then we learned it. There was one particular day, one moment, when we learned it.

For bdyer, that day was yesterday.

It's no crime to be an aspiring graphic designer, and to want to learn, as she (or he) obviously does.

My two cents.

I'm a vector based graphic designer too Brian - I design typefaces. Maybe I'm just too wrapped up in typefaces that I forgot about the people who don't use them that often.

Brian, type is the bones of graphic design.

http://typographica.org/on-typography/a-fruitful-discomfort-the-face-of-...

hhp

What's a 'vector based' graphic designer? That sounds like a 'hammer based' carpenter. Sometimes a screwdriver can be useful, too.

@bdyer23: Welcome to Typophile.

In just one post, you’ve probably already noticed there are some… interesting… folks here. It only gets better. A few tips: I recommend using your real name as your screen name. It used to be somewhat of a convention, and it has been my experience that you get a little more street cred for doing so. Also, in the practice of typography (no, we’re not getting into an endless circular debate about what typography is) , ID’ing fonts is something typographers tend to pride themselves on.

And there’s a bit of a trick: Many alphabets have particularly unique characters. Spot that character, and you know the typeface. For example, in Gill Sans, the tail on the lowercase [a] is a dead give away (check out the top of the bold [t] while you’re at it). In Trajan Roman, the way in which the capital [J] descends below the baseline is also a tell. In addition, these are two incredibly popular fonts, and have been for around for decades. I can say with complete confidence Gill Sans is in 90% of typographers “if I only had 10” list. Trajan used to be popular, but somehow it got co-opted by movie-land. A shame.

If you are interested in looking at the details of typefaces to help you play “name that font” I recommend getting a big paper book with the entire alphabet printed out so you can look at the aspects of individual characters. It has been my experience that many type designers put extra work into the [a] and [g] glyphs (characters) so I usually make an effort to inspect them more closely.

There’s also a ton of digital ID services out there, but I’m a grump old man that likes paper. However, as time goes on, and more and more typefaces are churned out every year (unnecessarily IMO) playing “name that font” is getting harder and harder to win. However, it still feels good to do it from memory.

@aluminum: “Hammer based”. Good one ;)

@aluminum (and all others):

Ok, I didn't post my question so I could get ridiculed for asking a simple question. I understand, some people take extreme pride in their trade, and feel better about themselves by making another person feel like they are "less" than they are for not knowing something as simple as Trajan, or Gill Sans font. Please, allow me to recap on exactly what I do, cause maybe "Graphic Designer" might be the wrong name:

Basically, I take other peoples logos, when they do NOT have a vector file (.eps, .ai, .cdr) and I re-create their logos for them. In turn, my "re-created" vector artwork get's sent to a Sign Company so they can fabricate electrical signs for their business, which in turn get's mounted on the outside of their building (Channel Letters, Reverse Channel, Light Boxes). You'd be surprised at how many people have a logo for their business, but can only seem to get a copy of a 72dpi JPEG of it. Personally, when I design a logo for someone, I send them a copy of it in every format possible. (.ai, .eps, .pdf, .tif, .jpeg) Basically, I do ALL of my work in Illustrator. Depending on the quality of the bitmap image I receive, I can usually just trace it then clean it up in Illustrator. Most of the time, I DO know the name of the font, or I can find it very quickly, but for whatever reason, on this one.......I had trouble. With the work I do, and the Sign Companies I work with, ALL artwork needs to be vector art. Whether it's cutting 3-D lettering with acrylic, or vinyl lettering on your vehicle, or electrical signs, ALL art needs to be vector. That's what I do for the most part!

In addition to that, yes, I also do logo designs, flyers, brochures, restaurant menus, etc. Obviously, when I'm creating my own artwork from scratch, then finding the right type face to use is never a problem, since IM the designer.

Do I sometimes have problems with "identifying" certain fonts when I need to re-create something? Sure I do!! But I'm always open to LEARNING, hence the reason for joining this forum!!

Brian

@ Christopher Dean:

Thank you greatly for sharing your input, I appreciate people who comment with helpful advice, that I can use for future reference. Thanks again.

Brian

Brian, rock on!!

@ Christopher:

I took your advice, and changed my screen name! LOL Thanks again!

It's good you're open to learning (everybody should be). The thing is, somebody in your line of work should have run into Trajan and Gill a hundred times by now.

hhp

hrant:

I have, and that's why it drove me crazy!! I knew that I KNEW the names, I just couldn't get my brain wrapped around it! Funny thing is, once I saw the names of the fonts, I said to myself "Aww, thats it!!!". Even funnier, I obviously had both fonts on my Mac already, I just overlooked them. Needless to say, I guess it was just one those "blank" moments in my brain, and I just couldn't remember the name. Oh well, glad the problem is solved now!

At any rate: No need to go on the defensive because of some snide remark the intention of which isn’t quite clear to me (if we exclude the unpleasant possibility that it was just intended to make its author look clever and you stupid). The Type ID board is there for typeface identification; it’s fine to ask for obscure typefaces to be identified, it’s fine to ask for Arial, Gill Sans or Trajan. This at least is my stance and I’d be happy, just like probably most other members of this community, to help you out next time, regardless of the typeface you need the name of.

R:

Thanks, I greatly appreciate it!

I think it's pretty clear that Nick got miffed that somebody calling himself a "Graphic Designer" cannot recognize Trajan and Gill Sans. Shooting for a high standard (which this really isn't even) is a good thing.

hhp

We get it.

But when you say "high standard," you mean for people visiting this board? And if they don't meet your standard, they should be scolded? Or somehow made to feel inferior, or otherwise embarassed?

Who is served by that? Who is helped?

This is not an accrediting body for the practice of typography, graphic design, or anything else. It is a type I.D. board open to all humanity regardless of vocation or level of expertise. The purpose is helping people, not scolding them for asking their question in the first place.

No, just a "high standard" in general, like what you call yourself. Nothing to do with this forum, or even typefaces.

Anyway, focusing on the positive: if Brian takes away an appreciation that type isn't just a side-show in graphic design, then everybody wins.

hhp

Oh dear, I only asked a very simple basic question........and look what I've started! What a great "welcome" I get to this forum! LOL j/k Anyways, in all honesty, I think I'll try a little harder next time before I ask another typeface question. :-) Wow oh wow....

Skyfein.....thank you! And everybody else on here who truly HELPED me and not just tried to belittle my lack of knowledge on font types.

“Give me a fish and I eat for a day. Teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime.”

hhp