Nestefor & Astérédia

[Eowyn Cwper]

Relooking at it, I definitely have a font issue. Help. ç_ç

[Tiana]

Yeah, I use font symbols all the time to shorthand simple symbology. My most frequently abused include * and o for markers. • is useful if it's in the font.

So let's talk graphic design.

Instead of using 2-3 different fonts to represent different types of text, use different settings of the same font (all caps, small caps, bold, italics). I will often use all caps for land labels such as rivers/forests/mountains and then standard capitalization for towns/cities. You've selected an all caps with the "small caps" larger capital for the first letter font for the town and city labels, so to compliment that, I might set the bay/river/etc labels in italics in the same font, but in unified capitals without the larger first letter.

If you choose to use 2 fonts, the problem I have with these two is that they're both fantasy fancy fonts. I would select 1 such font and then pair it with a more standard serif or sans serif font. The font you picked for the bays and whatnot would work with a second font, but I would probably put it with a simpler one than the "Ringbearer" style city font.

I approve of the depths added to the sea.

[Kellerica]

I remember this link being passed around on occasion. It's a very good sum-up of some do's and don't's of basic typography design, so it could be worth checking out for some ideas.

You usually are better off sticking with max two fonts per design, and preferably have those be ones that contrast each other in some way. If the two fonts are very similar, what is even the point?

Tiana is right on the money with creating variation by using different styles rather than fonts. You'll want to find large font families that come in lots of styles. Look at something like Arial, that comes in Regular, Bold, Italic, Narrow, Narrow Italic, Narrow Bold, Black, Narrow Black, Black Bold, etc. etc... Tons of room for variation. Of course lots of typefaces don't come in families this large, but having at least the basic Regular, Italic & Bold options available will go a long way.

These are of course largely a matter of taste, but I personally prefer simplicity when it comes to typography. I find a simple, balanced typeface much more pleasing to the eye than a flourish one. Stuff like Centaur, Calibri and Candara are some of my favourite fonts out there. For mapping, I enjoy the IM Fell family for works that call out for more of a antique feel.

[Eowyn Cwper]

Thanks for your good advice! I didn't do exactly what you recommended (an artist's gotta do what an artist's gotta do :p ) but I learned things and I achieved more font consistency (I think) so nothing went to waste! What do you think?

Cities: OptimusPrinceps with an outline
Geolabels: OptimusPrinceps with an outline, small
Summits & key: OptimusPrinceps
Continents & seas: Black Chancery

map echo3.png

EDIT: alternative to preserve the handwritten style.

Cities: OptimusPrinceps with an outline
Geolabels: M FELL DW Pica, italic (ty Kelle!)
Summits & key: OptimusPrinceps
Continents & seas: IM FELL DW Pica, italic

map echo3.png

[Tiana]

Either is a significant improvement over the original. (I also like Centaur as a font quite a bit!)

[Eowyn Cwper]

Thanks, I'm literally downloading every font I see mentioned here.

And guess what? My commissionner got bored of his continent's shape – not because I failed it, though. I guess I get to start afresh!

map echo3.png

[Tiana]

Any commissoner who does that to you after they've seen more than a dozen versions of the old one without saying anything, while allowing you to add details on top of it, is a crap commissioner who deserves a punch in the face, and 0 positivity. Bored is only acceptable if you're charging per hour, not per piece. Screw that guy.

[Badger]

Definitely charge by the hour after that crap!!

[arsheesh]

And guess what? My commissionner got bored of his continent's shape – not because I failed it, though. I guess I get to start afresh!

map echo3.png

So I don't know what your arrangement with your client was, but a good policy to follow is to have a separate hourly rate for revisions. When I take on a new commission I outline up front what the base fee covers and what it does not. The base fee covers initial concept art, revisions to concept art and finished art. Any revisions requested after the client has signed off on the concept art are not covered by the base fee but are billed at an hourly rate tacked onto the base fee. Hope this commission doesn't end up becoming a nightmare for you.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh

[Tiana]

[QUOTE=arsheesh;414990]So I don't know what your arrangement with your client was, but a good policy to follow is to have a separate hourly rate for revisions. When I take on a new commission I outline up front what the base fee covers and what it does not. The base fee covers initial concept art, revisions to concept art and finished art. Any revisions requested after the client has signed off on the concept art are not covered by the base fee but are billed at an hourly rate tacked onto the base fee. Hope this commission doesn't end up becoming a nightmare for you.

Cheers,
Wow. Brilliant. Because for me the absolute worst is when someone approves a landmass, I fill it in, and then they ask for the landmass to be changed in shape. My base fee allows several revision rounds, based on the average amount of back and forth per map (generally it tends to be around 15 emails from the commissioner requesting additions and changes) but obviously "now I'd like to see castles instead of dots" or "change the font to a script style" is a lot different than "I'm bored of the underlying shape, change it all"... because I base my rates off of how many revision rounds I expect a size of map to take and the time I expect to spend in "a session" (before I advance enough I want to send it to the client for feedback). I've been quite good about guessing how much time a commission will take, but there's that 5% of people that don't respect the workflow that make me want to kill myself a little bit...

So now, along with "50% after approval of the concept, no further art is added until you approve or decline with feedback, $20 per edit after the final is paid and approved" I will be adding, "the hourly fee that kicks in for significant deviations from an approved concept". Because most commissioners DON'T want significant deviations. In my workflow, they approve the texture and outline and water features in my first draft and all other back and forth is getting the font, features, land-fill, trees, cities, decorative elements right. Every single one of those things is more modular than redrafting an entire country. And I HAVE had this happen, though rarely, and of course I find a solution and smile and deliver, but it's at the cost of my time, sanity, and time for other commissioners. Now I have a way to explain, "Okay, I can and will do that, of course, but here's what it'll cost you based on the initial agreement."

I appreciate it. At least some good has come out of what must be undoubtedly frustrating, Eowyn. Now everyone who reads this has a way to potentially handle the situation in the future thanks to Arsheesh.