A Guide to: TEXT
I consider text one of my weakest points. I am beyond flattered that erzsebet requested this font/text guide. Hopefully this was the sort of thing you were looking for, and despite the fact that I am clearly a)crazy and b)ridiculous, hopefully this guide is helpful!
01: FONT GUIDES BY OTHER PEOPLE
I, honestly, spend a lot of time reading/staring at font guides written by other people. Anything I have to say about text is probably borrowed and stolen from any of the various guides I am about to link you. They are all worth having a read over, I promise!
- Font lists and guides by lemonpunch. Her journal is friends only, but this resource post (which has been compiled by various iconists around LJ) is definitely your one stop shop for all things text.
- Everything you ever wanted to know about how to use text by rizny goes over how to use text in photoshop AND gimp as well as arming you with tips and tricks on how to use text all in one go. Really long but oh so worth it.
- I used to have a really long tutorial by exp0se saved, but apparently it no longer exists. However, in a recent icon q&a, there's a short tutorial about how exp0se goes about text. It's here, and since exp0se is a text genius, it is worth the look. Also talks about how to finds things for your text to say which is very helpful!
02: LIST OF FONTS I USE OFTEN
I fully admit to being a trend follower when it comes to text. You'll see from my list (which I'll get to in a moment) that many of my favorite/most used fonts are ones you've probably seen on 'favorite font lists' for awhile. So I apologize for the unoriginality in that respect.
However, I am a firm believer that it isn't so much the font but how you use it that matters. Even the most generic font can look good if you jazz it up a bit.
(NOUVELLE VAGUE) This font is my newest addiction. I'm definitely not the only one, but that's probably because it is so serviceable. It looks good big and small; you can use it as a more decorative font because it looks fancy, but also as just a readable font because it is clean.
(OLD SANS BLACK) Another good, clean, simple font that was really big for awhile. It is pretty much my default font; I probably over use it, but whatever works, right? It doesn't have any fancy swirls so it looks good in blocks. I like using it if I need text to sit close together.
(FOLKS BOLD) Another font that got really popular for awhile and definitely one I've abused without mercy. It was my go-to font for a good long while, and now if I can't get the look I want from Old Sans Black, I use this.
I don't have a link for this one. I can't remember where I snagged it from, to be honest. I think I was browsing a community where you ask if anyone can recognize the font face, and there were a lot of queries about this one. Anyway, it looks nice, but is is definitely one you want to use for big statements and not a whole lot of text. And, apparently, I adore using it for the word 'bitch'. Hm. Interesting trend there.
(SPLURGE) I'm really just too lazy to find another font that looks sort of hand written but not totally hand written. So I just use this one because I downloaded it an age ago. It can be a lot of fun to use though!
(OFF THE DRUGS) NO IDEA ABOUT THIS FONT. I JUST LIKE IT. It looks hilarious. It does need a certain mood and a certain amount of space to make work though because it isn't the clearest font around. Best for funny scenes, I think, just because of the amusing tilts of the font itself.
To be honest, I'm not even sure these are all the same font. Um, if it isn't System then it is either Photoshop Small or Photoshop Large. All three of these fonts were pre-installed on my computer. But sometimes you just need a text-y looking font, right?
And those are probably the main fonts I use. If you are curious about a font not on this list and/or want to clarify what the font in a certain icon is, just leave a comment. If I can remember, I'll get the info to you asap.
03: A BRIEF GUIDE ON HOW I GO ABOUT TEXT & SOME TIPS
TIPS & TRICKS
(Basically I'm just going to ramble on and on about things that pop into my mind when I think about text and how I, specifically, work with text. Everyone has their own method though; so I can't say that my method will necessarily jive with you, and that's totally fine. BE ORIGINAL. DO IT YOUR WAY. IT'S PROBABLY BETTER.)
---> WHERE DO I PUT MY TEXT?
I know a lot of text tutorials advocate planning to include text in your icon in advance, but I seem to be incapable of doing that. As ridiculous as it sounds, most of my icons with text happen by accident. If an opportunity to include text presents itself, I'll take it. It is usually one of the last things I do. And I, personally, like my text confined to a smaller space as opposed to the traditional 'create lots of extra space to add text in' approach. I also find smaller phrases to be easier to add into an icon than larger phrases; the the larger the phrase, the more space you need (obviously), and even then your icon can easily become too crowded.
I also find that it helps to put each word on its own layer. That gives you a lot more flexibility in terms of position (and color and font choice) because you can edit each word individually. It does take a little extra time to do it this way, but I think it is worth it to have that level of control over your text. (This is another great reason to stick to shorter phrases as opposed to long quotes, by the way.)
Rotating your text can also making positioning and placing your text easier (and a lot more fun). This particular aspect of text took me awhile to embrace, to be honest. I've only just recently started using in heavily, but it is definitely something that adds a lot to your text. Above I mentioned putting each word of text on its own layer, and you'll see how handy doing that can be when you are rotating your text. It allows you the freedom to move and twist each word in its own unique way which makes it more interesting to look at.
NOTE: A trick I've picked up from one font guide or another: when you rotate text, use the free transform tool to do it. If you rotate your text using the text tool (the box and arrows that show up while you are typing), the letters of your text end up uneven and messy. With the free transform tool, you don't have that problem, and everything looks a lot smoother.
Finally, don't be afraid to move your text around. It doesn't absolutely have to stay in the place where you first typed it. If it isn't working, move it using the move tool! I do this all the time. Actually, a lot of the time, I just type my text in the middle of the icon, and then once I have all my text, I move it where I want it. Then I'm not biased about where I want it, and I feel like I can experiment more because I haven't pre-defined the place where the text absolutely has to be.
---> CHOOSING A FONT
I wish I had something really insightful to put here, but I don't. In the end, I'm more interested in readability and ease of manipulation than anything else.
As you can see from my font list, simple, usable fonts are my favorites. It puts a greater focus on what the text says and allows you to do, for the most part, whatever you want with the text (in so much as deciding where it is placed, how it adds to, enhances, or frames the focus of the icon, and how you color it).
---> COLORING YOUR TEXT
When I say color here, I don't just mean the actual color of the text. That's part of it, of course, but not the entirety of it.
Text needs to be part of the overall icon composition, not a separate entity. It is important that the text works with your chosen image(s), color scheme, and composition. Text not that much different than an image or a texture in that respect. You can, more or less, think of text the same way and treat it in a similar manner.
That's just theory of course, and it can be difficult to put into practice/ I honestly don't think I've even close to mastered it yet, and even those who have still have their bad days. Coloring, though, is one of the best ways to integrate your text into the rest of your icon. Even if the text doesn't seem to fit, coloring text can ~magically~ make it so.
1. Choosing a font color
White is a good, easy option. I almost always start with white (or black) text. From there you can either keep the white/black or use the eye dropper tool to choose colors from your overall color scheme for your text.
The eye dropper tool is awesome, basically, and if you want your text to be an integrated part of your icon, using it to choose your font color is the best way to go.
2. Blending modes
Don't be afraid to change the blending mode of your text layers! Probably best used if the area under your text isn't very busy. The results of this will vary greatly. I find a good deal of the time that I'll have to duplicate text layers and mask (if I have, say, two words of text on the same layer because I got lazy) to get the results I want.
For example, this sig tag has four layers of text. It has the user name (duplicated) and 'team hades' (duplicated). The first user name layer is on 'linear burn' and the second on 'exclusion'. Both layers are masked though because 'eldest' looked good on 'linear burn', but 'muse' did not (and ivce versa). 'Team Hades' is on both 'color burn' and 'linear burn'. The additional color burn layer was put in place so that the last bit of text would show up (it didn't on 'linear burn'). ANYWAY. CLEARLY THIS IS KIND OF COMPLICATED. But it can be fun and it can add all kinds of nifty new effects to your text.
3. Textures
FIRST OFF I MUST LINK YOU TO ONE OF MY FAVORITE TEXT TUTORIALS: THIS ONE. God. I adore this tutorial. I bugged AO to write it for me because she is a text goddess. AND THIS TUTORIAL NEVER STOPS BEING AMAZING. It taught me to use textures to make text more awesome.
And I always use this little trick now to add depth to and smooth out my text. It is crazy amazing how one light texture can change the composition of an icon and the text. A lot of the time, I only want to use the texture on my text though. SOLUTION: Once you've got your text finalized (make sure you are absolutely sure there's nothing else you need to do to it because this trick will render you unable to edit it again in any great detail), rasterize the text layer. Then right click on the layer and select 'select layer transparency'. Then go up to the texture layer and create a layer mask. BAM. Now the texture should only be on the text. (If for whatever the reason your layer mask is the opposite, just invert it. Easy.)
---> DETAIL WORK
1. BLUR
Yes, I blur my text. If I don't my text usually looks too sharp around the edges. The thing with blur is that you only really need a tiny bit. I usually stick to using Gaussian Blur at a radius of 0.3. AND THAT'S IT. NO MORE. EVERYTHING IN MODERATION. ETC. ETC.
2. Layer Styles
Eh, I used to adore using layer styles in conjunction to text. Drop Shadow was my boyfriend. But not so much anymore. I do still use stroke a lot though because sometimes I really need to emphasize words to make them visible (you can't use this and still blur your text though, unfortunately. The stroke, if blurred, becomes this crazy ugly mess.). Gradient overlay can also be pretty useful if you find that, even with the eye dropper tool, your text colors aren't really clicking with your color scheme.
AND THAT'S IT, I THINK. I'm sure I've forgotten something, honestly. Feel free to ask if you have any questions at all really. I don't mind answering them. I love the pretentious sound of my own fingers typing across the keyboard, you know. XD