How can I help you?

A question that not enough working people (especially in business) sincerely ask. With no intention of getting something out of the ask. Purely asking because you are trying to help someone, to care about someone else rather than getting something for yourself.

You can often just feel it or hear the intention of the question when it is asked out of kindness versus any other reason...most of the reasons are rooted in reciprocating or making a sale etc. One of my biggest pet peeves is walking into a store and someone asking me this question. Most companies force their employees to say it. You cannot hide genuine kindness. The fakeness or sale at the end of the conversation slithers its way past their teeth and rolls off the tongue and just simmers in my ears. I HATE it.

Designers are often in a pretty awesome position because when people come to you for work or in general...they already are in need of something. But what about others, when is the last time that you asked across the aisle to maybe someone who cannot afford your services and is struggle with solutions if they need help? The bottom line and power of the dollar is what drives us into just worrying about ourselves.

It is amazing to see that when we start to care about each other, things just get better...the bottom line included. People are drawn to it. We want someone...hell, we need someone to care about us. We are social creatures and we spend about a third of our lives at work around other people. So to be around others who are not faking it who are genuine in their intent is an amazing thing.

When we patronize other companies just how much better would everyone's experience be if we could care about one another. Not because you are a customer or employee...but because you are another human and so are they.

How can I help you?

Oh for fonts sake!

Now, do not misunderstand what I am about to say. So let me say this before we get started here....

There are tons of terrible fonts....a lot. But who gets to decided what is good and bad? Who are the gate keepers that decide what looks good and what is crap or passe?

There are some well known and great designers who use fonts that I would never think would be acceptable by mainstream designers. Other times I am like...."Ok, looks great but can we use something other than the same old 5 fonts?"

Good type setting seems to be slowly dying off and is being overlooked (super guilty, I am trying to step my game up here).

I understand that communication is key and that a font can say volumes with its kerning, tracking, density, serifs etc. So the importance of type choice is obviously super important.

What helps me stay sane is the notion that a character does not sit on or over the plane. But instead it sits inside the plane and the relationship between other characters and the space it is occupying is of the utmost importance. This fine dance we do with grids, spacing and composition can sometimes be exhausting.

At the end of the day though, is our ability to pick a good type just the result of trends? Does a trend make something good? Well of course not. Are some types timeless? Some would ague yes. Others would argue they have lives, to be born and die themselves.

Maybe there is something more I am missing. Maybe they are more like tools, thousands to choose from. Making the choice up to me (us) to choose which tool communicates the best.

But boy that leaves me still wanting though.