Phinney on Fonts

Tag: job

  • Career Change!

    In early June, I will be leaving FontLab! My Font Detective work continues to grow beyond what works with a full-​time day job. I am also looking for other gigs that are compatible with said investigations!

    I am pleased with many things FontLab has accomplished for its customers in my time there, and have written about what we have done over on the FontLab blog. It has been a fun ride, and I wish my colleagues nothing but the best! But the time has come to move on and do other things.

    What was once just occasional expert witness and related work has kept growing, and become quite frequent since I launched my “Font Detective” expert witness web site, a year ago—and even more so in recent months due to publicity around a particularly high-​profile case in Canada (see the Toronto Star and National Post articles).

    But I can’t keep up with this, while also being full-​time CEO of FontLab. Yet the pay relative to time is excellent for the detective gig, it is quite fun, and I can imagine doing it part-​time into retirement 20 years from now… so rather than restricting it to a sideline, I am now doubling down on it.

    This is a bit tricky, seeing as the detective work is incompatible with being full-​time CEO, yet also not quite at the volume/​reliability to fully replace that full-​time work. Hence, I am looking for other part-​time or temp gigs that are compatible with my “consulting font detective” work:

    • Font consulting—design, technical, business, and other. Are you a foundry or type designer who needs some one-​on-​one review and lessons to up your type design game? Have a font tech problem that needs solving?
    • Type design on my own and/​or for clients
    • Teaching, whether training people on FontLab VI, teaching type design, or other gigs. (This could include, but is not limited to, reviving the lately-​dormant Crafting Type workshops.)
    Talking about font detective cases at Typo San Francisco, 2012.
    © 2012 Amber Gregory, FontShop, CC-​BY.
    Contact Ms Gregory.

  • Cristoforo lives! Re-​launched Kickstarter project & revised intern position

    Cristoforo promo image

    If at first you don’t succeed….

    My first go didn’t quite make it, so I reconfigured the reward structure and relaunched my Kickstarter campaign to find backers for my new typeface, Cristoforo, a revival of some classic Victorian typefaces by Hermann Ihlenburg. It’s also known as the typeface of Call of Cthulhu (the H.P. Lovecraft roleplaying game), and as the original logo for Cracker Jack. The campaign will only last until midnight on Saturday June 17. Basically, people pledge money up front for the fonts (and other goodies) so I know the project is viable. Reward options for backers depend on their funding level, and include not only the fonts, but computer desktop wallpaper, T-​shirts and posters.

    Kickstarter is all or nothing. Only if the total pledges exceed the minimum funding target are people’s credit cards charged and the project moves forward.

    If funding exceeds the minimum by enough of a margin, I can add more language support for central/​eastern Europe (including Cyrillic), and even pay an intern! Otherwise, the intern will be an unpaid position. I hope to make intern decisions in a week, and just revised the job description again.

    Check it out the typeface on Kickstarter and/​or my intern wanted posting.

  • Font Production & Type Design Intern Wanted

    [Updated June 1 & May 29 on deadline and minor details, May 26 on time/​duties/​pay, previously May 6 on funding chances, possibility of part-​time, clarified total working hours, and discussed what will happen if the Kickstarter campaign fails.]

    General

    Deadline for applications: 2 pm PST, Saturday June 2nd. (Though earlier is better, interviewing the week of May 29th.)

    I’m looking for a type design intern, probably just for the summer, though I’m open to a longer period. This will be an unpaid position, but with an unusually good ratio of learning-​plus-​even-​working-​on-​your-​own-​projects to ruthless exploitation. The duties of the position will be dependent on the success of the Kickstarter funding campaign for the Cristoforo typeface. I expect the project will be funded, but without enough money for a stipend. Assume it’s unpaid and you won’t be disappointed.

    If the Kickstarter campaign fails? I am still considering that. I may still proceed to work on the typeface just to get it done. It’s nice to finish things. That would eliminate most of the graphic design work in the position, as that was all for the “rewards” for Kickstarter backers. I might still do the desktop wallpapers, and just maybe digitally printed T-​shirts. It would also make a part-​time situation make more sense, with less total work and less time pressure involved.

    Details

    I’m located in Portland, Oregon. Helpful if you are too, or willing to relocate for the summer.

    I’m open to negotiation, but as a starting point, I envision this position as roughly equal parts of the following areas of work:

    • Helping me with font production on Cristoforo (in process) and especially Cristoforo Italic (not even started). There is room for some actual type design here.
    • Helping create and deliver the rewards for the Cristoforo Kickstarter project (t-​shirt, poster, 3 desktop designs; taking the lead on design, if possible)
    • Reading suggested books from my substantial library on typography and type design. Expect to read at least one book every week, more if possible.
    • Working on your own type design project(s) much as you would if you were doing a University course
    • Receiving direct type design instruction as well as detailed and constructive feedback and critiques from me on your work, both on your own type design project and your help on Cristoforo

    I initially viewed this as totaling a full-​time position, but I had concerns that I will have enough work to keep my intern busy, given the limitations on my own time. Part-​time is more plausible, maybe 15-​25 hours a week. Mind you, it depends on how much you can do on your own type design as well.

    The position will start in June. It could be remote initially if you are coming out later.

    Salary is unlikely. If the Kickstarter campaign exceeds its funding target, then half the excess will go to my intern. It probably won’t be much, but I am hopeful the fringe benefits will compensate.

    If you are working with me in Portland, you would likely be spending a significant amount of time in the finished basement of my home, in a small office area. (Perhaps not my existing home office space, we might take over the storage area for more space!) You’ll have a 24“ monitor to work with, and if you don’t have your own laptop I will provide a Windows laptop to use with the monitor. We could also meet elsewhere, as long as it is not too distant from my SE location.

    I do not discriminate on the basis of age, race, gender/​identification, sexual orientation, national origin, etc. If you do, we might not be the best match.

    Requirements:

    • Obsessive, detail-​oriented personality
    • Strong ability to follow through and finish lengthy projects
    • Comfortable and able to both work substantially independently (for your own type design) and with considerable guidance/​interference/​supervision (on Cristoforo and possibly on the Kickstarter rewards).
    • Some background in typography and graphic design
    • Quick learner
    • Very good English reading skills or ability to put in extra hours to make up for it
    • Fair spoken English communication skills
    • Solid computer skills. I am happy to teach type design and font production, but you need to be good on a computer already
    • Either bring your own laptop or be happy working on Windows
    • Be really sharp—brainpower is good.
    • Able to work evenings and especially weekends. That’s when I’m free—though much work could also be done during weekdays when I’m busy at my day job. I am not talking about working more than 40 hours a week, it is a question of when we meet and work together.

    Highly Desirable:

    • Able to relocate to Portland, at least for the summer. If not, we’d be doing a bunch of work by Skype and email and such. But a local (or relocatable) candidate would be preferred.
    • Substantial graphic design skill/​experience, able to take the lead in designing the poster, t-​shirt, and desktop designs called  for by the Kickstarter project. BFA in design, or working on a BFA, or equivalent experience, would be great.
    • Do not require a special visa to work in the USA, or are willing to work for free. I am not inclined to deal with US visa/​immigration bureaucracy unless you are an extraordinary candidate (in which case you ought to be getting paid more than I can afford to pay you!)

    Bonus Points For:

    • Quite comfortable with both Mac and Windows. I go both ways and my main box right now is a Mac.
    • Have your own laptop to bring with you
    • Have done noticeable reading or have real experience relating to type design
    • Have some familiarity with FontLab Studio or other font development software (CorelDraw does not count)
    • Experience with screen printing and/​or letterpress printing
    • Being a geeky intellectual type

    Next Steps:

    Submit a resume, write-​up, or whatever you like. References appreciated! Samples of, or links to, your previous work would be great, especially anything that shows your attention to detail and ability to complete long projects. If you have done any type design or font production, I’d like to see the actual font file, along with any comments you have on things you think are good and things that you know need work.

    My email address is tphinney and the domain is cal.berkeley.edu.