7 Tips for Amateur Type Designers

7 Tips for Amateur Type Designers

(Godinisms: Populism, Counter-Intuitiveness, Really Bad Idea)

You? A type designer?

Of course you're not! So why would you consider doing anything Godin suggests here?

Let's look at some of his points here (the rest sound ok but are uninteresting)

If you want professional results, hire a professional.

Yes! Yes, this is fine advice. In fact, it's a great place to stop reading.

Don’t use the built-in fonts that come with your PC. (Type is cheap. Invest.)

Well, that's fine, unless you're reliant on others being able to read your document. Or on being able to present from an arbitrary computer. Also, are you darn sure that you know enough about font selection to go off the reservation? Wouldn't that be a decision best left to . . . a professional?

Headlines in sans serif. Body in serif. (Easy tip—headlines are bold and condensed.)

I always want a mismatch between headline and body? Seems like an odd rule of thumb.

TYPE SIZE! Too big is good. Too small is good. Just right might be a problem.

No. No. No. No. No. 'Too' and 'Just right' are there for a reason. Don't run around scared of everything that's Just Right, and trust that Too Big and Too Small will save you. Once again, you'll go broke.

In fact, this is SO bad, this posting spawned a new Godinism: The Really Bad Idea.

Should you fire the voice mail guy?

Should you fire the voice mail guy?

(Godinisms: Populism, Stating the Obvious)

This isn't such a bad post. Sure, it's possible that many companies have voice mail trees that stink, and they go unexamined for years, and it's time for a little spring cleaning. Why not.

Now, most voice mail systems these days seem to work pretty well. And for the ones that don't, it seems farfetched that it's the CEOs job to fix them, or even pay attention to them.

But all in all, questioning your voice mail system isn't such a bad idea. At least you won't go broke!

Recognition

Recognition

(Godinisms: Stating the Obvious)

Sooooooo, recognition is good? This is not something I consider news. This is such a perfect example of StO that it's almost as though I wrote it myself. I can only assume that Seth Godin keeps a handy list of Things Everyone Already Knows on hand, and burns a listitem everytime he's maxed out on caffeine and still really, really, really can't think of anything to write about.

The subject of the post is so uninteresting, the post is almost unworthy of further consideration. But I will point out some bad writing.

do you deserve to be recognized by the businesses you patronize

No. No you do not. A few verbs might work here. Certainly not 'deserve'.

do you think it would be motivating (or even satisfying) to have your boss recognize you for the hard work you did over Memorial Day weekend?

Here's a better question: why the F are you working on Memorial Day weekend? If you absolutely had to, then fine. More than likely though you're either a martyr or a sucker. Don't do that.

(And another thing . . . I don't care for the use of 'hard work' here. Coal mining is hard work. But I think Mr. Godin is probably referring to some form of desk work here. If you sit at a desk for a living, stop telling yourself you're working hard. You're not. Enjoy it.)

That ought to do it.

Thinking about Danny Devito

Thinking about Danny Devito

(Godinisms: Counter-Intuitiveness, Populism, Gross Imprecision)

This is all about how George Clooney is a very successful movie star, but Danny DeVito is successful too, and then goes on to make several dubious assertions and conclusions.

He was perfectly cast as the Penguin.

Not really.

(number of people resembling George Clooney)/(jobs for people resembling George Clooney) is a much bigger number than the ratio available to Danny.

Really? We're sure?

For the math challenged: Because everyone in Hollywood is trying to be George, there are a lot more opportunities for the few Dannys willing to show up.

We're sure about this too?

Invest in Danny. The edges usually pay off.

USUALLY??? The edges USUALLY pay off??? This is utterly absurd. Nothing usually pays off. Certainly not 'the edges'. Here's an example of Godin advice that would ruin you financially if you were foolish enough to follow it.

Danny DeVito was successful because he's an enjoyable actor, and because he did a tremendous job at networking. His roles almost never have anything to do with his size (I'll give you 'Twins'). He's succeeded in spite of his appearance, not because of it.
Dumb.