Do you have a few typefaces you use again and again, or do you look for something new for every project?

It’s an age-old question, but one I still hear in various forms. For designers and creatives immersed in their craft, the answer is obvious. Or is it? Perhaps the question has been buried by years of work. It’s not always obvious to a business why anyone should care to make their content visually appealing. Isn’t the content itself enough? This question is particularly difficult to answer when asked by someone who has a budget in their hands. Who looks at the bottom line, aiming for cost reduction. Aren’t these invoices from the designer an obvious excess? I still struggle with these thoughts. And, while I certainly hold the view that beauty in itself is an invaluable asset, I’m well aware of the balance between form and function. Content should convey a message in a manner that resonates with the viewer. In my work, I often aim for less, helping the readers understand the text without any unnecessary friction. Why do you think someone should pay for design?

I saw this old street sign in Kristinestad, Finland, today. The area is bilingual, with both Finnish-speaking and Swedish-speaking inhabitants. And the history shows even a Russian influence. This trilingual street sign with a very broad character set shows a good understanding of all the nuances among sign painters and printers back then.

Does anyone here remember this? 😀

It will cost you money to publish a book. But it costs far less than it used to, thanks to new technology and tools having become accessible to anyone. Still, it costs money, time, and energy. You will know best which of those you have the most of – and what you need more of for your project. If a publisher takes care of most things connected to the book’s publication, your own work is fairly straightforward. Their professional advice on language, structure, design, printing, distribution, marketing, and sales will probably make it easy for you and lift the quality of the finished product. But it can also feel as though you feed the manuscript into a big machine that spits out a very different product at the other end two years later. And what do you get in return for calling yourself an author? A very small percentage of every copy sold. If you publish the book yourself, you keep a much bigger slice of the pie when you sell a copy. But then you also have to do a fair bit of the work yourself. As well as taking all the profit in the project, you also carry the financial risk. There is no guarantee you will sell as many books as you would like. You need to work out what you can afford to put on the table, what you can afford to lose, and trust that – over time – you will get back what you have invested in the work. Budget: Set up a simple budget in which you list all conceivable expenses and incomes. Typical expenses include the retailer’s percentage of sales, printing costs, design, language services, postage, advertising, storage, and hiring a venue for a book launch. If you are a group of friends or professionals, perhaps you can each chip in to make the book a reality? You can also ask local businesses whether they would like to contribute, and look into grants from cultural funds. Consider pre-sales and crowdfunding, so that you bring in money from customers before the book is finished – money that can cover the expenses. And then we hope book sales generate income. Work out how many books you need to sell to break even – and, in time, to make a profit. Remember to deduct commissions and discounts for the shops.