I Have Been Getting Into Typography (And Why a Side Project is Healthy)

Recently I have gone down the path of typography, and it lead me further than I intended (no pun indented—really). There are two reasons why I started, and here they are.

First of All

I wanted to start another side project. I can’t help it, I love starting something new—to build a brand from scratch. But I can’t sit around and redesign the Skylimit Productions brand, so I have to do side projects—healthy-sized side projects. They should be small and focus on something I like doing so it doesn’t become a burden.

So one of my favorite design endeavors is to draw something, vectorize it and polish it a little bit before using it in some design. So I started the side project wrds.one. The initial idea was one vectorized word a week—free to use for whatever you want—but now it is “one word, twice a week”—supposedly.  In reality I make way more than that, because I find I love doing this.

The word Life from Wrds, with an image from Unsplash.

So is this worth putting all this effort into? Yes. Because I get exposure, which is the first reason. Give people something they may use, and in return I get exposure.

Secondly: Skills

So whenever I have some free time at work, or happen to get inspired on the evenings, I sit down and write something. It might be whatever word in whatever style, everything from “faceplant” to “London“. The point is I need a place to let the creativity loose and do whatever I want. That is Wrds.

What I get back from it is growing skills. Skills pay the bills, but also, the more the skills grow, the more fun your have doing what you do. This aspect of the side-project drives me to just continue doing it, even on the days I don’t feel like it. Consistency is key.

Where I Didn’t Know It’d Take Me

So. Already now. After having launched this side-project on the 17th of May (the Norwegian national day), I am soon ready to release our first font. It is still in the process of being named, but it is spaced and kerned already, and could come out any time soon. I am not going to stress it however. When it comes it’s going to be good.

It took me into the wild. The word Wild from Wrds, with an image from Unsplash..

Want to Join?

If you want to make a vectorized word, just e-mail me, and I’ll make sure your face will show up on the website as a thanks for your submission. If it is good, that is.

This one was written by Benjamin Antoni

Reaching about 10 years experience developing for the web, and have been doing various forms of graphic design since he discovered a copy of Photoshop in his brother's room a long long time ago. Mail him if you want work done.

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