From Illustrator to Font Designer: How I Transitioned to a New Creative Career

Creative Market April 15, 2024 · 7 min read

With 2016 behind us, the new year brings an opportunity for a clean slate for those who want a fresh start on their career. Although it may be much needed, the idea of change can be a scary thing for many people. The thought of not knowing what could possibly happen as a result of your actions is terrifying, but in life, risks are worth taking for a higher reward. Paulo Goode is a freelance graphic designer who transitioned from being a technical designer to typeface designer and went through all the ups and downs of changing career directions. In this post, he will touch on:

When it’s time for a change
The resources for transitioning into type design
How to transition seamlessly
Ways to find work in your new field

Time for New Beginnings

For Paulo, his specialty change was forced when his old design studio offered up an ultimatum that didn’t suit him. Though, even before that happened, every now and then, he got a gut feeling that said, “things could be better trying something else.” He took that as a sign to move on. As is true while making any important life changes, there are many things to consider when determining if a career transition is the right move. When it comes to financial security, Paulo advises, “you would be wise to guarantee certain work before you embark on a self-employed journey.” He recommends having up to six months of savings in the bank as well. For those of you who may not feel like you have the right technical background or skills that would transfer to a new specialty area, Paulo encourages you not to give up. He emphasizes that skills are not the only important part of the equation, “it’s imperative that you have the skills, [but also an] interest, and passion, because talent appears only when you try something (and succeed!), while skills can be mastered over a period of time.” Being truly passionate and interested in the area you’re hoping to transition to will give you the patience you need to spend time mastering the required skills.

Resources Galore

Becoming a freelancer wasn’t a part of Paulo’s original plan, but it gave him the freedom to explore other fields. During this time, he came across a blog post by Tyler Finck that inspired him to start creating his own typefaces. However, since he spent most of his career as a technical illustrator, Paulo was new to the world of typeface design. With so much to learn and practice, he relied on design resources to catch up. For those who are considering a career in type design, Paulo strongly recommends these helpful books:

Lettering & Type: Creating Letters and Designing Typefaces — Bruce Willen and Nolen Strals
Designing Type — Karen Cheng
Shaping Text: Type, Typography and the Reader — Jan Middendorp
Type Rules!: The Designer’s Guide to Professional Typograph — Ilene Strizver
The Geometry of Type: The Anatomy of 100 Essential Typefaces — Stephen Coles
Typology: Type Design from the Victorian Era to the Digital Age — Steven Heller and Louise Fili
The Elements of Typographic Style — Robert Bringhurst

These books show the potential of how typeface could, and should, be used, while also providing the basic foundation for font creation. Paulo says these books, “serve as both a guide and a goal of what you should be aiming for in terms of quality and style.” When it comes to font creation applications, Paulo is a huge fan of Glyphs. In fact, it’s so important to him, he claims, “it’s the best software I’ve ever used and I would gladly pay 10 times the price that it is–it’s that valuable to me right now.”

Smoothing Into the Transition

Depending on your prior work experience, the transition period can be rough. Here are a few ways Paulo made the process easier for himself:

Never stop learning

One thing that Paulo found extremely helpful was continuously learning. He notes, “I usually bury myself in typography and type design books, but I’ve always been the type to educate myself and thrive on it.” Books may not be your go-to, first choice for learning a new skill, but don’t let that hold you back. There are other options out there, such as online courses, or even apprenticeships. It all comes down to personal preference and how you know you’ll learn best.

Get feedback from the right people

As a newbie, it was crucial for Paulo to receive constructive feedback to see if he was headed in the right direction with his typeface designs. Since Paulo had over 30 years’ experience before he shifted his career, he had already formed relationships with people in the design space. This gave him a place to bounce his ideas around, but he soon found that it wasn’t very effective. People were either too busy to offer feedback, or they would say something along the lines of “this is great, nice work!â€ Paulo says, “it is better to get your work critiqued elsewhere—specialist online forums, for instance—and take in the impartial responses.” He insists that this continuously leads to strides of better progress than listening to shallow, surface level feedback.

Make mistakes

To the perfectionists out there, it’ll be hard for you to stomach this, but make mistakes. According to Paulo mistakes are “absolutely the best way to learn and grow.” He also urges you to learn how to recognize your own mistakes, so you can find those learning opportunities. Nobody is perfect; no matter what you’re doing or working on, those mistakes, those opportunities, are there. They may just be hiding. Again, Paulo notes, “you will look back at your previous work one day and think: that’s wrong, that could be better, that’s a fraction too wide, that should be rounder. That is what comes with learning and gaining experience.”

Bring on The Clients

As he reflects back on the beginning of his transition into typeface design, Paulo believes the liaisons he had with a number design studios were what enabled him to find work as a newcomer in an unfamiliar field. Because of these old relationships, Paulo says, “I offered my services as a freelancer, taking any projects that were offered, as a way to better my craft in the beginning.” This goes to show how important it is to continuously grow your network and leave a good impression with everyone you meet. With a new specialty, you need to create new work to showcase your skills. Since you may not have much to show at the beginning, Paulo suggests, “build your own website and show off your personality with it.” Most new inquiries Paulo gets actually come through his site in this way. Not only will having a gorgeous website help boost your online presence, it’ll also bring clients straight to you!

Keep the Conversation Going!

Are you currently thinking about transitioning into a new career and feeling anxious about the process? Do you have questions about changing careers that we didn’t cover? Leave a comment below, Paulo looks forward to talking with you! Products Seen in This Post: