Beginner's Questions

[ArvDesign]

Hi Guys,
I'm just making my first steps in Graphic Design business,and so I have few questions which I hope will be answered.
1) I'm working on a project for my client. I'm using two fonts; Arial and one of the free ones. Am I going to break some kind of licence? Can I use the free fonts without any problems?

2) If I buy royality-free picture, I can use it for commercial purposes, am I right?

Thank you for your answers :)

[Satchel]

Yep - no problems.
S.

[defjoe]

1) you fine if it is a FREE font. but watch out for those..you get what you pay for.

2) royalty free means you can use it for what you like. you pay, you own.

[ArvDesign]

thanks for such fast response. Peace :)

[Mynock]

Some of those FREE fonts are ones the owners request you use in personal projects and not commercially.

[ArvDesign]

So how can I know which fonts are to be used personally and which ones can be used for commercial purposes?

[danedawg99]

when you download them, if there's a "READ ME" file. read it. it'll tell you in there.

[Satchel]

Or next to the file when you download it sometime sit says what their intentions are... free or for personal use - I just steer clear of the for personal use ones!
S.

[FreedomDesign]

Is the project online or print? Some of those so called "free" fonts do not rip well for professional printing jobs.

[ArvDesign]

it will be print project FLyer 4x6 inches. So can I use free fonts ?

[FreedomDesign]

Well, i should clarify it depends on the font, there are a billion free ones out there and some work some don't.
When you say 'print' do you mean professional 4 color press, or more like a laser/copy printing?

[Mynock]

You can always convert the font to outlines once you have it finalized.

[ArvDesign]

it's a small project. My client wants about 5000 pieces, my printing company asks my just for ready pdf file , and as far as I printed this way it looks ok.

[FreedomDesign]

Well, like Mynock said, if you are creating it in a vector program like Illustrator, then change the font to outlines (I recomend you always do that in fact). If your using a page layout program like Quark, the make sure you set the pdf file to inclue fonts.

[ArvDesign]

wow guys thanks a lot for your answers. I believe that my problem has been solved.

[LeftBrain Artist]

As far as the royalty free images goes, you should be OK. But royalty free does not mean you pay, you own with no restrictions. It means you don't pay royalties. Make sure you read all the legal mumbo jumbo carefully, because there are rare occasions when a use of a royalty free image will violate the license agreement you agreed to when purchasing the image. For example, here's a few things that Getty Images has as part of the restrictions in their license agreement:

Posting the images on a website for downloading. Using a photo of a model that would lead one to beleive that model endorses a product without including a disclaimer. Incorporating an image into a logo or trademark. Using the image in a pornographic or illegal manner. Incorporating the image into a template intended to be reproduced by third parties. The list goes on.

Just use common sense, if you think you might be doing something wrong, check it out.

[ArvDesign]

and what about the fonts?

[FreedomDesign]

I know that some free font sites have a disclaimer that says if you use the font commercially then they want you to pay them. It just depends on the font creator/owner/dude etc. :rolleyes:

The bottom line is, nothing is free thats worth having. Best to just buy your fonts. If i find a font i need and don't own then i just buy it and push the charge to the client in someway. It all evens out in the end.

[LeftBrain Artist]

Fonts are OK to use. They've got license agreements too which are equally as boring to read if not more so (no mention of pornography). Basically, the license agreements usually state you cant give the fonts to other parties unless its going to a printer or some other production place and they only use the font you supply them on your project. And its only good for like up to 10 people or so in the case of buying a Font library.

Free fonts that come with programs are pretty much worry free from a legal standpoint. You'd have to work pretty hard to get in trouble using those - like by extracting the fonts and putting them on CD for resale - but who the hell would want to buy them anyway? There should be a mention of it somewhere in the license agreement for the software you're using - if you've got time to kill. Based on what you said, though, I wouldn't worry about it.

[Satchel]

Best to just buy your fonts. If i find a font i need and don't own then i just buy it and push the charge to the client in someway. It all evens out in the end.

Is that really how it's done? It doesn't really seem right - I mean if it's a spacific font the client wants I understand making them pay but if you're buying a font, charging them and keeping the font for future use it sorta seems wrong?

maybe that's just me... psh, me and my stupid ethics!
S.

[Mynock]

Agreed, but if you're interested in owning your own fonts and doing more work in the future you can go out and buy a CD full of the cheap knock-off fonts. Then just use a free font management software like Font Tools, and you're good to go. That's basically how we're running at our shop.

[ArvDesign]

can you recommend me some addresses with that kind of CDs?

[Mynock]

You can find the cds are your Office Max, Staples-type places in the computer software I believe.

[FreedomDesign]

Is that really how it's done? It doesn't really seem right - I mean if it's a spacific font the client wants I understand making them pay but if you're buying a font, charging them and keeping the font for future use it sorta seems wrong?

maybe that's just me... psh, me and my stupid ethics!
S.

It's just the cost of doing business. If you need a specific tool to do a job, then you pass the cost to the consumer. Right? If im in business and doing business cost money, im going to pass any cost on to my clients. Im not saying if the font costs $25.00 then unethically cheat them and put the cost on them blatently. If you have an agreed upon price then that is the price. I guess im saying you have to adjust your costs to accomodate little things like font purchases etc.

I hope im making myself clear, not trying to cheat anyone, just have to learn to accomodate the cost of business. And you cant do business with free stuff from the web (at least not for long).

[ArvDesign]

Yeah, I think FreeDom Design is right. It's not that we are cheating on our clients. It's called "amortization". It's business we have to have something from it.The same is with pictures. Let's say I buy 10 of them 3 dollars each , so it's my expense, and somehow , sooner or later I have to get to profit...

[Mynock]

You have to cut Satchel some slack he designs bingo cards all day. He can be a little jumpy from time to time :P.

[Satchel]

well - everything technically is payed for by your clients - everything you buy with money from them so you're not really charging them for the font when you adjust the cost to fit the fonts in... but I see what you're saying. you're not a cheat - that's a good thing!
S.

[Satchel]

You have to cut Satchel some slack he designs bingo cards all day. He can be a little jumpy from time to time :P.

Actually I haven't dont a bingo card in DAYS!

I'm busy busy busy with the New Years Eve stuff - FUN!

and yes it makes me jumpy!
S.

[Mynock]

Lol, I was just getting a shot in there on ya. Didn't know if you would warrant it with a response or not. I was hoping you hadn't done bingo cards, but like anything else making the mundane stuff look awesome is rewarding too.

[FreedomDesign]

but like anything else making the mundane stuff look awesome is rewarding too.

I would say it take real talent and skill to do just that. :)

[Mynock]

I would say it take real talent and skill to do just that. :)Actually one of my favorite works at my last job was a black and white ad I did for the company that was only the size of a biz card. It knocked the socks off of all the other crappy designs that surrounded it.

[Satchel]

If i find a font i need and don't own then i just buy it and push the charge to the client in someway.

Ok everyone I understand you need to make a profit but read that sentance and tell me how it comes across... after he explained it it's understandable but just seeing that sentance it makes it seem a little fishy, or is it the bingo cards driving me insane?
S.

[Satchel]

I was hoping you hadn't done bingo cards, but like anything else making the mundane stuff look awesome is rewarding too.

Unfortunatly the people higher up than me that have to approve my work dont seem to like awesome - they like mundane so unless it's a special project the every day work here is dont pretty much the same ole way - but it helps out with deadlines because no one seems to understand those around here - but you all know about that... not trying to hijack this thread, though I think I already have! oops!

S.

[flutterby nut]

think how much it would cost your client if you had to sit there and design the font yourself?...by buying the font, you just jobbed out the font design to an 'associate'...perfectly ok...and if a particular free font doesn't rip well, what's a designer to do?...besides, comic sans and papyrus can't be used on everything!...lol...we'd all go insane and flood the market with bingo cards! (sorry)...like someone said, it's the cost of doing business...we've got student loans, technology, mortgages, etc, etc to pay for too...and none of us wants to work for free, why expect font designers to?...just some thoughts...

[FreedomDesign]

think how much it would cost your client if you had to sit there and design the font yourself?...

No doubt. When I started in this business, there were no computer fonts. Artists had to use rapidograph pens and DRAW the fonts (merely a novel idea today).

And if you wanted to send something to a printer, you had to cut every color separation out of layers of Amberlith or Rubylith (look it up) with an Xacto knife. :D

[cjoe]

No doubt. When I started in this business, there were no computer fonts. Artists had to use rapidograph pens and DRAW the fonts (merely a novel idea today).

And if you wanted to send something to a printer, you had to cut every color separation out of layers of Amberlith or Rubylith (look it up) with an Xacto knife. :D

Good lord! I don't know where i would be today without postscript and the likes

[Satchel]

Artists had to use rapidograph pens and DRAW the fonts (merely a novel idea today).

I had to do that in my Typography class in school - I learned a lot from it but at the time I thought it was a complete waste!

All I can say is I'm glad we have advanced as much as we have!
S.

[ArvDesign]

It must have been really time consuming.