I'm a typeface designer and I have barely any online presence... I make some extra income each month from my fonts without any self promotion, but I'm looking to make a big jump in marketing myself better. Trying to think of some decent promotion ideas but I don't know my audience too well. So who here buys fonts? Where do you do it? What's your spending habits w/ fonts?
Freelance student no unless requested by client. Include font cost in bill.
Gotta convince the boss it's worth the money and worth part of the client's budget. The more expensive or restrictive the less likely we are to license it. Licenses involving max number of page views are often an instant 'nope'. Typography RSVP gotta get paid, too though! Lost Type does a great job as far as getting notoriety out there for your work. Consider partnering up with a site like that or better yet build your own site and give away one or two weights of one of your more robust type sets. I will say we are more likely to get a license if the client is already using/attached to their type. If they have the free version of font-bold.tff and have to have it, we'll usually license the whole family (gotta have itallics, regular, etc.)
Typographers gotta get paid too*
(Mobile)
I do but only fairly inexpensive ones for my own use. Otherwise I bill the client for them, after convincing them it's the right choice and they'll own it for future use instead of scambling relying on whatever their computer has installed and hoping other designers have it too.
I'm more likely to buy fonts from places with beautiful websites and a process/journaling blog. Designers are usually very interested in the process and studio-life of other designers, including the people who make their typefaces. The Vllg and The Designers Foundry are good examples, and Hoefler & Co and FontShop are higher end ones that are different from bulk peddlers like myfonts. Buying a typeface is kind of a niche activity in itself so don't feel like you have to market universally to People With Money. e-mail newsletters, a blog, the usual social media where you engage with real designers and don't just promote yourself obviously. I obviously don't sell typefaces but I know what I like seeing
I actually went to a talk by the guys at Commercial Type and they admitted they make very little money on selling typefaces compared to custom client work. But their client work includes Nike and The Guardian soooo that may not be relevant
