Read This Before Posting A New Critique Thread

Admin James Puckett

Please do the following when requesting a critique:
• Attach an image to your post, but keep the image under 700 pixels wide. Use whatever image hosting service you like or just throw the file on your web server.
• Attach a PDF proof of your design. A proof shows the characters at a large size and examples of type set at sizes relevant to the intended use of the design. Please keep the data in your file as vectors to minimize file size and allow people to zoom. A sample proof is attached to this message in Indesign CS6 and PDF formats.
• Introduce yourself so people know what kind of experience you have.
• Describe your typeface: intended use, historical references, etc.

Jackson Showalter-Cavanaugh

Am I the only one who kind of hates seeing type critiques?

Mark Simonson

Some people really seem to like them and benefit from them. I'm not crazy about them either. But I don't mind if they're here, as long as I don't have to participate.

Marc Oxborrow

As someone who is currently benefitting from the sage advice of experienced TypeDrawers, I'm glad that critiques exist and am grateful to those who take the time to offer feedback.

James Puckett

Am I the only one who kind of hates seeing type critiques?

Nobody forces you to look.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Max Phillips

Not everyone can go to KABK, Reading, or Type@Cooper. Learning in isolation is slow and difficult. Speaking as someone fairly new to type design, I'd like this to be a place where serious but inexperienced people can draw on the expertise of established professionals. And, as several people have noted above, you can always skip any threads you don't like the looks of.

Ray Larabie

On Typophile, I remember watching interesting designs with character get whittled down into generic fonts. This seems to be a better critique crowd where most of the advice is technical.

James Hultquist-Todd

Personally, I found critiques can be helpful. As maxphillips pointed out, a lot of people don’t have access to the major type design institutions and trying to find a tutor can be a difficult process (if not impossible in some situations). I learned a lot from the critiques on my typeface. One of the most important things I learned was that not all of the advice is directly applicable to what I was attempting (and a lot of the stylistic advice was based on the adviser’s own tastes).

Thanks to most of the (technical) advice I received, I was able to move forward faster than I would have had I been on my own; but, at the end of the day, the important thing to remember is that it’s still your typeface and you shouldn’t try to please everyone who offers a critique.

It’s always nice to have another set of eyes look at something and you can always disregard the advice of others. I think that it’s important to look at the people who are critiquing your work: what is the quality of their work? Are you listening to them because they are the only ones offering advice or because you actually value their skills?

Lucas Leo Catalano

I'm new to type design too and find the critique threads invaluable, not just when my designs are the subject but even others. Seeing other designs head into directions I have not had the opportunity to go and see what problems showed up along the way makes the landscape a lot less foreign and daunting.

James Puckett

IIRC Typophile had to cut crit threads from the new posts listing because the constant churn made them dominate everything else. But that is not the case here. Can someone make a good case for hiding them other than that associated with the great unwashed who have not released an exquisite typeface makes you feel dirty?

George Thomas

I don't mind the Critiques and think they sometimes serve a useful purpose, so I don't think they should be hidden.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Matthew Butterick

Can someone make a good case for hiding them other than that associated with the great unwashed who have not released an exquisite typeface makes you feel dirty?

There seems to be a reliable inverse relationship between how frequently someone posts new threads seeking critique vs. how frequently that person contributes to threads that are not about them. Hiding the critique threads would deter this sort of peacocking — "LIKE MY FONT? KTHXBYE"

Lucas Leo Catalano

I'm more active in the critique category than any other. I'd like to contribute more but most of the conversation on this forum is at a level I'm not quite at yet. Try my best to space out my posts and not bump my critique thread up too often. Thought I'd share.

Vladimir Aldanov

I don't get, how do I make a PDF? And should I post both image and PDF? Thank you.

Jasper de Waard

@Vladimir: First off, may I suggest you use a pic of yourself as your profilepict? Secondly, pdf's can be made in many different ways, though using adobe indesign is definitely preferable over simple text editors like word. File>save as pdf, or, File>Export to pdf. Yes, an image and a pdf is best. Goodluck.

Vladimir Aldanov

Thanks!
I'll upload my photo when I'll have one. Now I haven't a possibility to create a good one.

Emilie Rene Veronneau

Is font pairing also appropriate for this critique section? (want a second advice on pairing 2 sans serifs)

James Puckett

> Is font pairing also appropriate for this critique section?

Please don’t ask for advice on font pairings. Use reddit for that sort of discussion.

Evie S.

Is a letter that you can't decide on (variants, isolated) appropriate for this?