9 Comments

I would love to submit some typefaces, but there is no way I'm going to pay £100 for that! Why do you need so much money from me? Type design is a loss making hobby as it is, done by people commited to the craft rather than financial return. Frankly I find this insulting to the creatives that support the Creaitve review.
Miles Newlyn
2010-09-10 14:01:02

Great to have your work out there but agree with Miles, how do they justify that kind of cash for multiple entries...surely just a single entry fee and a cap on submissions?
alex
2010-09-10 15:03:00

If the fonts are selected for the Annual, will CR license the fonts properly? this could offset the entry cost.
Miles Newlyn
2010-09-10 16:42:38

It is fine to say that having your typeface selected is a great achievement, but the advertising revenue generated by CR is surely enough.



So again i ask how can one justify that amount of money to submit multiple entries with no guarantee of their work being selected



£100 might be fine for the large font foundry, but for the struggling typographer this cost is completely out of order



Neville
2010-09-10 22:32:00

@ Miles @ Neville



Every page of Creative Review costs us several hundred pounds in paper, production, print and distribution. We have just finished the Photography Annual: it runs to 80 pages. So, multiply 'several hundred pounds' by 80 and you have a rough idea of the costs involved – tens of thousands of pounds. And that's without any staff costs on top.



In the magazine, those costs can be offset by advertising revenue and the cover price. One of the important things about our Annuals, however, is that the content is uninterrupted by advertising. And each one goes out with an issue of the regular magazine, with no increase in the cover price. Therefore, there is no extra revenue to offset the extra cost of production.



Entry fees allow us to cover the cost of the Annuals and, yes, make some profit. Why do we need to make a profit? Because we are part of a public company – everything we do must generate some kind of return for the company, otherwise we don't get to do it at all. Those returns go, in part, to developing new things for our readers – like the website that you are on now.



One entry to the Type Annual costs £50. If you enter three, they will cost you just over £30 each. We have deliberately tried to keep these fees low in recognition of the fact that most type designers do not operate large businesses. Just for comparison, one entry to D&AD costs on average around £100. One entry to the Cannes Design Lions costs €380. In America, entry fees are often lower but that is because the market is so much bigger that entry numbers are far higher than here.



As well as the prestige of having your work recognised or praised by your peers or prospective clients, having work selected for The Annual provides a very valuable promotional opportunity. If you pursue type design as a hobby, than this may not be relevant to you. However, it is certainly of value to those who pursue type design for a living.



There are arguments for and against awards but our Annuals have proved successful because they provide something that many people feel is worthwhile. As long as they continue to do that, we will continue to run them.



 PatrickBurgoyne
2010-09-12 14:52:00

In regard to the source of CR's content, is an unhealth position Patrick. I believe CR's future would be better if it were to encourage the submission of work, rather than deterring it. However, I respect your position as a public profit making company - best of luck.
Miles
2010-09-13 12:01:24

Fair enough. It's the same with anything isn't it? If you're a big company with high profits, you can afford to enter prestigious awards. It doesn't mean you're the best, but it's amazing what an award does for your CV. £30 isn't exactly expensive, and if you get it in CR that's a good personal achievement, is it not?
Ian Bolton
2010-09-13 16:05:36

Uploaded...
MLA
2010-09-14 17:40:16

Can't afford it at the moment. And by the looks of it - I'm not alone (think most students for instance).

As in regard of costs and profit - there are so many options out there.

Sponsorship being one of them. Not to mention all the foundries who will advertise in such publication.

And all the rest.
Al Fresco
2010-09-16 09:40:00

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