Artistamps Workshop::
Choosing Fonts with Impact
Breathing Life Into Words & Numbers
When making your own postal stamps, sometimes it is easy to undervalue the importance of fonts in communicating mood, cost and country of origin. Often, we go with the first font that looks good enough, or seems to hit the spot.
But playing around with the fonts, and seeing the subtle impact a change in a font can make, can give your stamps a fresher look, convey a deeper insight, or just set your work of art off in a new light.
For example ... here are a few different takes on one stamp. See how well you can perceive the slight variations. This visual exercise can not only help you fine tune your eyes to subtle differences but start to awaken your subconscious because you are asking it to work on recognizing shades of meaning.
Take a closer look at the stamps shown at the top of the page.
Do they look any different to you? Or are they identical? Is one more visually appealing to you than the other? If so, can you put into words or feelings why this is so?
More Postal Stamp Comparisons
These art stamps (or artistamps if you will) all feature a slight change in the font used to denote the denomination (1w = Life Way 1).
Glance over them and see if you like any of them.
Now take a closer look and see if you can pick up on the subtle moods or vibe each postal stamp gives off.
Does the one in the center of the pack seem to be saying
something different than the ones on either side?
Does the stamp with an arrow feel more in motion than
the one above it on the left?
Does the stamp with the symbol and letter W combined express
something different from than the one above it on the right?
More Options
The fonts* you choose can give your art stamps a foreign feel, a surreal touch, or a whimsical mood. And the same image (as in the postal stamp above) can serve to communicate many things with just a few subtle changes.
As an artist, you may only show one variation as your final piece ... but playing with the fonts can give you a wider range of options and possibly expand the use of your images in all your art projects.
* These stamps feature the following fonts: Bookman Old Style and Alladin (first row); Felix Titling, Music Elements, and UnZialish (second row); Wingdings3 and Archeologicaps (third row); CUrlz MT (top of page).
