SXSW was a whirlwind adventure filled with some amazing times and entertainment. While I had some crazy great times, it wasn’t all perfect. There were several high moments, but a few low ones as well. Below, I share the “Pit and the Peak” or the best and worst moments of my time at SXSW.

BEST MOMENT

Winning an Olympus OM–D Digital Camera at the Drink & Click Event

You never know what you could win at SXSW. Many companies have giveaways at their booths in the streets, at the convention center and at the parties they sponsor. About a week ago, while researching parties to attend, I saw that an event series called Drink & Click was coming to town for SXSW. This is a traveling event intended for photography enthusiasts to get together for a drink to share best practices and take awesome photos.

Olympus was sponsoring the event and giving away a pretty sweet camera, called the Olympus OM-D. I’ve wanted a decent camera for some time now, so I was determined to go to this party for a chance at winning it. Brooklyn Brewery was also sponsoring the event, so free beer was appealing as well.

When the time came to do the drawing for the camera, there were several hundred people with the same hopes as me. I knew my raffle ticket number by heart, #614.

They called the first number, and no one called out. Someone must have gotten their ticket and left before the drawing. Everyone was excited for another opportunity to win the camera. Then they shouted the next number: “614!” Instantly, I said to myself “That’s me!”, but I must have been in shock because I didn’t say it out loud. Everyone started thinking again that maybe they had another shot at it. Oh heck no. I looked down at my ticket one time for confirmation, and yelled, “That’s me!!” Someone next to me asked, “Seriously?” I replied, “Yep!” and started jumping for joy.

WORST MOMENT

Heat Exhaustion, Crazy Lines & No Entrance at The Spotify House

As SXSW Interactive was coming to a close, and the SXSW Music Festival was starting to rev up, I decided to end my coverage of the event by checking out one of the most notable places to rock-out, The Spotify House. My goal was to catch Day 1 headliner and R&B singer, Miguel, at 6:15 pm. I knew the lines would be ridiculous so I RSVP’d in advance and arrived two hours early.

When I arrived, the line was already wrapped around the building. I decided to wait since two hours seemed like enough time before the show to get in, and I didn’t plan anything else for the rest of the day. An hour went by and I hadn’t moved up at all. I started to get worried that I may not get in. Just then, a Spotify rep came down the line, telling us we most likely would get in, so I continued to stick it out.

After waiting for an hour and forty-five minutes in the sun, on the record-breaking hottest day of the year, with the heat index reaching well into the mid 90’s, I finally made it to the actual line near the entrance gates. There was light at the end of the tunnel!

Miguel started performing as I approached my turn to get into the concert. Exactly as was making my way to enter, The Spotify House reached capacity, and the gates were shut in our faces. Disappointment and frustration set in as well as heat exhaustion. Two people near me passed out as there was no water available. And I was starting to feel faint from standing in the heat without water for the past two hours.

Goes to show that even when you plan, you still need to be prepared for waiting in lines…and not getting in!

Tips for next year:

Arrive several hours in advance for headliners.
Bring water, hand-held fans and other cooling mechanisms.
Wear sunscreen, hats and sunglasses.

Bad Moments in Austin are (Fast) Fleeting

I didn’t want to leave Austin on a bad note, so I stopped in a local cantina, called Licha’s Cantina on my way back from what would have been the Miguel concert. I immediately ordered a huge Tecate and water to re-hydrate and chill me out from what just happened.

This spot was amazing and had a great ambiance. They offer delicious “Interior Mexican” cuisine and an enormous amount of different Mezcal drinks, which are my favorite type of drinks. I had the Alambre Tacos (Wagyu skirt steak, bacon, queso asadero, onions & peppers) paired with a Mezcal Negroni (Union Mezcal, Carpano Antica, Campari). After eating this delicious food, having a few great drinks and assessing all my winnings and experiences from this weekend, you can bet I no longer cared about not getting into the Miguel concert. All I could think of was SXSW 2017! We’ll see you there!

Denise is a Creative Circle Houston candidate and YOUR guide to the unofficial SXSW.

Free Brews, Tattoos, Bikes & St. Bernards

With non-stop action happening around every corner at SXSW 2016 – including back-to-back parties, live music and an array of people ranging from eclectic hipsters to badass bikers – it doesn’t take long to find an awesome party or do some spectacular people-watching.

Strolling through the streets without a plan or badge during SXSW can be one of the most entertaining experiences Austin has to offer. There’s something for everyone – from those who just want to enjoy a free cold beer to the more extreme, who get free tattoos.

Below, we highlight some of the interesting unplanned moments we’ve come across so far.

Mophie Rescue Party Powered by Indian Motorcycle at Bad to the Bone Bar

Not all parties are purely for entertainment. We loved stumbling upon the Mophie Rescue Party at 5^th & Trinity this weekend. In partnership with the St. Bernard Rescue Foundation®, Glympse® and Indian Motorcycle®, in an effort to help raise money and awareness for St. Bernard rescue as well as provide power to those in need, this party offered free beers, badass bikes on display along with moto artwork and dozens of adorable St. Bernards.

This was one of the coolest partnerships and parties we’ve seen during SXSW this year, and it was free and open to the public. Not to mention, Indian Motorcycle® is raffling off a sweet custom mophie Edition Indian Scout Sixty motorcycle. Even if you weren’t able to attend this great charity party, you can still enter the motorcycle raffle. The winner will be chosen on March 23, 2016.

Enter to win at www.mophie.com/mophierescue.

Free Tattoos at Harley Quinn’s Tattoo Parlor

To promote the premiere of the upcoming DC Comic inspired Warner Bros. movie, Suicide Squad, a local tattoo shop at 513 E 6th St. has been transformed into the Harley Quinn Tattoo Parlor, offering up free temporary tattoos – and for the super badass and extreme– free permanent tattoos of Suicide Squad characters. Open from March 11-14.

The Interactive Street Scene + Local Love

Austin is all about showing local love. So while in town for SXSW, make an effort to support local businesses by stopping into a pub for a cool brew or two, or to catch some free live music in the self-proclaimed “Live Music Capital of the World.” Grab a seat near a window for A+ people-watching on the street. Also, partake in the street action with interactive performances around 5^th and 6^th Streets. Don’t forget to tip the artists!

Denise is a Creative Circle Houston candidate and YOUR guide to the unofficial SXSW.
Watch as she takes on Austin, for free.

Since the dawn of time, ah-hem, actually since the 18th century, there’s been a clash of preference around serif vs. sans serif letterforms. What’s up with the typeface tussle? Is there really a difference? Well, some people love serifs, some people hate them.

What are serifs? They are the small feet at the end of the strokes on a letter or symbol. Some typefaces are serifed, and others are unserifed, otherwise known as sans serif.

Which side do you fight for in the ultimate typeface choice for your needs? Well, that depends.

Rivalry for readability!

There’s been 100 years of research and argument on which style is more readable. This is the general thought in the typography community about serifs:

“Serifs are used to guide the horizontal “flow” of the eyes; The lack of serifs is said to contribute to a vertical stress in sans serifs, which is supposed to compete with the horizontal flow of reading.” [De Lange, R. W., Esterhuizen, H. L., Beatty, D. (1993), Electronic Publishing]

This has not been fully proven. There are a few factors in favor of serifs though, serifs have additional indication to their characters that sans serifs do not, thereby improving identification. And, readability also is increased if typeset well.

What the sans serif team has going for it, is the fact that sans serifs are much more easy to read when set small. Those pesky serifs tend to clog up negative spaces when scaled down. It’s been claimed that sans serifs are easier to read on screen.

I’m not sold on that, but I agree with that statement pre-2010 before hi-resolution and retina screens came into play on our devices. Those serifs used to crumble against the harsh light of the LCD monitor screen.

The tried-and-true application was always serif for reading copy, sans serif for emphasis.

Spar for medium!

Determining the final output of your piece will help you advance towards the best choice. Besides the differences in color spaces CMYK vs. RGB, the way we perceive light is totally different between paper and screen. Light reflects off paper to read, whereas on a screen, the surface is backlit (which can cause a degree of fatigue).

We used to assume that we could make any ol’ serif and sans serif fonts play nicely. But that was 10 years ago, but now we have to know if they were designed for print or for screen. Screen fonts don’t have print features like ink traps.

And same goes with the screen. Many digital versions of classic fonts have been re-engineered for the screen. Just make sure you source recent versions that work best with the software. Needing to set really small type? Choose Reading Edge fonts, which were developed for reading at small sizes on the screen.

If you’re going to press with your piece, think about how many printing plates you’re specifying, and what paper you’ll be printing on. This consideration will also affect the final output.

If you are printing on textured paper or reversing out your type, you’ll have to increase the type size or weight, or choose a typeface that can hold the ink. Consult with your print rep to make sure. If you’re planning on staring on the big screen (or small screen), consider these three things: how far from someone’s eyes your type will be seen, what the final screen resolution is and environment your design will be viewed.

Clash for context!

Read the content before you set it, and decide which works best to translate the tone.

Serif typefaces are the elder of the two styles; the first letterforms created were serifs, and sans serifs are relatively new on the scene (18th century). So, if you want to demonstrate a bit of history or authority, serifs are your weapon of choice.

If you’d like something more contemporary, choose a sans serif. Sans serifs are typically informal, and serifs formal, but from there, there’s no rules. Once you decide, start digging into your classifications to narrow it down and really make decisions based on the nuances of letterform anatomy.

So which one is the best?

As you see, there’s a bunch of qualities to consider just in the first step of choosing between serif and sans serif. There’s no one single answer. But no matter which you choose, a successful choice will be evidenced by the message understood first when reading, not the style of the font.

Once you make that choice, you’ll need to dive into classifications. We love the book The Anatomy of Type, A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces by Stephen Coles. The book demonstrates the characteristics between classifications to help you choose wisely.

Back in the phototypesetting years, there was hundreds of fonts to choose from. Nowadays, picking out a typeface is much more difficult as there are over 300,000 fonts available for direct download. Ay caramba.

Know what you’re designing and then you can make your choice more swiftly. In our online Type 1 Class, I provide an ESPN-highlight view of classifications, which I dive deeper into this topic. Do you typically prefer serif or sans serif fonts? Let us know on Twitter at @TypeEd.

Michael Stinson is a co-founder and instructor at TypeEd, where he helps designers implement better typography, efficiently. Get more typography in your inbox when you sign up for more updates about TypeEd.

If you’re in Austin for SXSW this year, you may or may not be able to afford a $1,200+ Interactive badge to gain access to all of the sessions and festivities. Either way, there’s plenty of free stuff to do all around the city. So, make sure you’re taking advantage of everything SXSW Interactive has to offer – for free.

Every year, companies come by the thousands, just to spend millions on giving away promotional items, food, beverages and wicked awesome entertainment. We are here to be your guide to doing SXSW Interactive without having a badge or “Official” access.

If this is the case for you, take the following steps and you will have the best time at SXSW Interactive 2016, without spending a dime:

1. Get your Guest Pass

A SXSW Guest Pass is free and available to anyone who downloads it online. This will get you into multiple free “Official” SXSW events throughout the city and even a few things at the conference, such as the PBS Lounge at the Austin Convention Center, where they are giving away free T-shirts and gum. You’ll also gain access to several other lounges that have charging stations for your phone.

Here is a list of the “Official” SXSW events that allow Guest Pass access.

2. RSVP to Everything!

All of the “Unofficial” SXSW events typically require RSVPs in advance. This will allow you access to free events happening throughout the conference, including some seriously crazy nightlife and parties offering free food, drinks, giveaways and entertainment. Stop by places like the Mashable House on 6th Street near Sabine and get free sunglasses, tacos, drinks, take cool space photos and more.

Another favorite of mine is the Spotify House, technically a part of SXSW Music but overlapping with the Interactive portion. If you’re still in town, you won’t want to miss a free performance by Miguel on Monday, 3/14/16 at 6:15 pm. RSVP in advance and arrive early if you want to get in. Hurry up though, because many companies close RSVP prior to their events due to over-capacity!

Mashable House Austin – 610 E. 6 Street
Spotify House – 1501 E. 6th Street

For more info on other parties and places to RSVP, check out the following link by CoolinAustin that summarizes some of the best free SXSW events around town.

3. Download the Eventbrite Mobile App

This mobile app allows you to locate as well as RSVP to events and happenings near you, and they have a special section specifically for SXSW. It also sends you updates to your email before the event reminding you to download your tickets.

BONUS: You can also put the events you RSVP to on your calendar so you can prioritize them and don’t forget!

Download Eventbrite.

4. Download & Filter the SXSW Mobile App – SXSW Go

This app is obviously great for finding the “Official” SXSW events, but can be a little overwhelming if you don’t have a badge and are specifically looking for free events. Luckily, they have a great filter feature.

Download the SXSW Go App, then go to “Filter”, then “More” and filter by “Tags”. I use the tags “Free” and “Guest Pass”.

Download the SXSW Go Mobile App.

5. Just Walk Around!

Several companies host events around the city that are free and open to the public. Just across the street from the Austin Convention Center you will find the Samsung Gear VR Experience Lounge where you can go for a virtual reality Six Flags Tatsu Rollercoaster ride with gyrating seats to give you the feeling you’re really there, and believe me your stomach will drop! They also have free popcorn!

BONUS: If you’re a Samsung Galaxy user, you get to skip the long entrance line!

Likewise, the McDonald’s Loft is giving away free McFlurries and custom burgers with those who have a Guest Pass from 9 am – 5 pm.

Overall, if you follow these steps, you should be able to navigate through SXSW without spending a ton of money, or any for that matter! The one thing you should spend money on though is safe transportation. Yes, I went there. Don’t drink and drive. I prefer Uber, but Lyft representatives are passing out discounted ride tickets on the streets during SXSW. (Code for $10 off: BUDSXSW)

Also, Mazda is giving away free rides within three miles of the convention center with registration to their Mazda Express, but it’s only to a few predetermined destinations and ends at 6 pm.

Have fun!

Denise is a Creative Circle Houston candidate and YOUR guide to the unofficial SXSW.
Watch as she takes on Austin, for free.

I’ve been on the job hunt for a while now. And I’m still not where I want to be. The feeling that has surfaced most continuously throughout this process has been frustration. With my aimlessless, my lack of a larger goal to work towards, comes a frustration that seethes out of every pore and oft infects my days with vexing irritability. I feel like a knight trying to figure out how to get to a castle with no idea of what the castle looks like, no way to spot it out on the horizon, and thus no way to determine the best path towards it.

Beyond this base level aggravation, one of the most stress-inducing parts of the job hunt has been relaxation. Now you might be thinking, “Isn’t that nonsensical?” Well, yes and no.

Right now, my spare time is when I’m not a) at my first internship, b) at my second internship, c) trying to get to said internships in absurd Los Angeles traffic, d) doing work for one after getting home from the other, e) music blogging, f) working on side projects, or g) planning/thinking about other projects I want to start. And for my sanity, I carve out time for rejuvenation: tv watching, cooking, painting, music making, reading, etc.

And between all of that, I still have to look for a job. Needless to say, how I use my spare time has become very important.

I tried searching for jobs in the morning before work, after dinner after work, and at different times during the weekend. I found that job searching before work conflicts with my ability to go on morning walk/ get the green time necessary for a happy and healthy Nina. After work, I rarely have the zeal to look because I’m both tired from work and too preoccupied with other work still to be done. Looking on weekend evenings made me feel somehow more hopeless (likely because I was home on a Saturday night not with my friends but looking for a job). Finally, I found that the mornings were best because the weekend calm coupled with the balm of soft morning light allowed me to feel most hopeful and energetic in my search.

Dedicating time to the job hunt is not easy, especially when it feels like there is always something more I can do – more of myself I can give – to the commitments already in my life. Everything feels important, but in the end, it just feels that way.

I’m trying to retrain my brain not to take on a thousand projects at one time, but to draw attention to those that both help others out the most and feed me and my growth. I’m trying to learn how to prioritize, to give myself smaller to-do lists that are actually accomplishable, and to not beat myself up if I don’t get everything done that I want because I’m human and we only have so much brain capacity and so much time.

Keywords: I’m trying.

Meet Nina, a recent graduate of a liberal arts college, with many passions, interests, and skills…and no job. We invite you to join her (and commiserate) as she struggles wading through the post-graduate swamp world. A creative at heart, and most likely a mermaid in another life, when she is not at the pool, she can be found writing, reviewing music for The Wild Honey Pie and OurVinyl, making art with her friends, goofing around on Photoshop, cooking, or frolicking amongst foliage while dreaming of how to save the planet from destruction by human hands.

Networking events and industry meet-ups are always being recommended to me as the best way to integrate myself into the community I want to be a part of.

Being a shy thing, on top of being introverted, I find the idea of such shindigs terrifying and unappealing. However, I had a moment of feeling brave and was willing to take some risks in the hope of making some new connections. So I decided to journey down to Sassafras, a bar in Hollywood, for an event supposed to help connect those in the baby ranks of the entertainment industry.

As I walked there, straightening my skirt and tucking wisps of hair behind my ears, I tried to amp myself up: “You can do this. Take it step by step, you don’t have to become best buds with everyone in there. Your goal is to talk to one person. You got this. It’s only one person. Once you get into a one-on-one conversation, you’ll be fine. You can handle this.”

I took some deep breaths as the bouncer checked my ID and I stepped inside the dimly lit two-story room.

And in an instant, I was ready to bolt right back out the door.

The place was stuffed to the gills, humming like the drone of an overactive beehive, and people hung together tightly in clusters with little room for new members. Claustrophobic and easily overwhelmed by massive cacophonous sound, I decided the best strategy was to get to the quiet serenity of a hopefully empty bathroom and to make a real strategy from there.

Heart beating with a mixture of fear and embarrassment, I struggled through the crowds taking over the small aisle between the bar and the wall that led to the restrooms. Once there, questions flooded my mind: “How was I supposed to figure out what cluster of people to join? How do I even nudge myself in? Is there a way to do this not awkwardly? Do I get a drink and hope to meet people at the bar that will invite me to follow them back to their cluster? If that doesn’t work, I can’t stand at against the wall by myself with a drink.”

And then I’m back at the start of trying to spark a conversation with a stranger. I quickly realized a major flaw in my plan had been not bringing someone along who could have at least hung back with me while we navigated these high school clique-esque clusters.

Uncomfortable with any other option, I forced myself back through the fissures between shoulders. I would turn my head about in a last ditch effort to maybe catch a friendly eye, but when my gaze was predictably unreturned, I continued my fight through the crowd until I finally reached the refreshingly free air on the outside of the bar.

“Another time,” I said to myself as I walked back to my car that had only been parked for ten to fifteen minutes at the most. “Or maybe never again.”

Meet Nina, a recent graduate of a liberal arts college, with many passions, interests, and skills…and no job. We invite you to join her (and commiserate) as she struggles through the post-graduate swamp world. A creative at heart, and most likely a mermaid in another life, when she is not at the pool, she can be found writing, reviewing music for The Wild Honey Pie and OurVinyl, making art with her friends, goofing around on Photoshop, cooking, or frolicking amongst foliage while dreaming of how to save the planet from destruction by human hands.

My process began, and continues, with questions. I am constantly questioning (myself, life, etc.), so the job-hunting process was bound to be no different.

Not knowing what I want – being attracted to a million different life paths and career options, and not having enough time try them all out – I figured the next best option was to ask someone else what I want.

I decided to turn my perceived notion of the informational interview on its head: instead of it being a time for someone else to get a sense of whether I might be a good fit for their company, I used it as an opportunity to quiz others about whether their job position would be a good fit for me.

I will be completely honest, I still have no idea what an informational interview is or what it is supposed to look like. It remains a mystical fuzzy concept of something theoretically helpful.

I spoke with a screenwriter, a music blog founder, a film and music-making fellow Haverford grad, a television writer, a music supervisor, and a music booker, to name a few. Despite the variety of jobs they had all held, the conversations went roughly the same way. I probed about the job, its particulars, the lifestyle it entailed, and about the path that got them to their job. And in the end, they all said something to the effect of “there is no one path in arts or entertainment.”

I wanted to protest, “You mean you don’t have an answer for me? You mean there is no answer? What?” I wanted to fume, I wanted to angrily gesticulate in usual Italian fashion at the heavens, and stomp away in search of a sage that might appease me.

It only took three or so of these “informational interviews” to realize that this reaction not only wouldn’t get me anywhere, but also was completely ill-founded. My assumptions were problematic in two ways: I wanted the answer and I was relying on others to tell me what I could only figure out myself.

There isn’t an answer that is just hiding from me until I work hard enough to discover it, like a pearl tucked inside an intricately folded handkerchief. Unlike the previous 2+ decades of my life, which were guided by schedule and structures that built the path in front of me as I went, from here on out, there are endless possible paths for me to take.

Although I can’t rely on such tests to give me the answer, or even my answer, the interviews weren’t useless. There were tidbits about each job that attracted me to certain options and others that repulsed me, reminding me of the importance of intuition in the whole process.

They also taught me that the job I may want might not exist; I may have to go out there and make it myself.

The search for your new career, or job, does not have to happen alone. Whether you are interested in freelance work or a full-time position after graduation, staffing agencies offer qualified candidates a team of recruiters and account executives who are all working toward finding the best fit for your career needs. They work to build a relationship with the client that job seekers can benefit from, making staffing agencies another resource for your job search.

According to the American Staffing Association, around 3.2 million temporary and contract workers were employed by U.S. staffing companies per week in 2014, up 5.4% from 2013.¹ Additionally, more and more companies are using one or more agencies to fill open positions; often, those positions may not even be publicized. Partnering with a staffing agency on your next job search gives you access to that many more opportunities. If this is your first time considering it, read on for information on the process.

Selecting an Agency

With so many choices, making the first move toward finding a recruitment agency can be just as stressful as finding a job itself. How do you know which one is right for you? The answer really lies in what you are looking for. Before moving forward, start your list with agencies specific to your industry. There is a staffing agency for every field from creative to financial to technical. Creative Circle, for example, specializes in placing advertising, marketing, creative, and interactive professionals. This narrowed focus ensures that the agency has the connections to hiring managers in that field and expertise necessary to be successful.

Another testament to an agency’s connections is how long they have been in business. One that is more established will have accumulated loyal clients along the way. The established agencies have spent years developing direct client relationships that job seekers won’t get from applying directly. Alternatively, a relatively young agency may have fewer candidates you are competing with for the same position. Either way, determine which factor is most important to you to get the most out of the agency you decide to work with.

The last factor to look at (but definitely not the least) is the industry experience of the agency’s recruiters. Your recruiter will be your partner on the journey to a new job so look for an agency staffed with professionals who have industry-specific experiences, that way they will understand you and your skills.

Creative Circle’s recruiters, for example, all have creative backgrounds. As experts in the field, they will be able to provide relevant feedback on your resume and portfolio. In addition, they know the technical terms around your work and will have no problem relaying to clients. Be at ease knowing that your connection to the client can sell your skills in a way that reflects you in the best light.

Submitting Your Application

You’ll find that applying to be represented by a staffing agency starts much like applying to work directly for any company: with a resume. Because this is the first impression you get to make on a recruiter, include all relevant experience and skills. Be honest with your proficiency in each area of your work – your recruiter cannot help if they do not have an accurate representation of who you are.

While the exact registration process varies, most agencies will ask that you sign up online and upload a resume and work samples or portfolio, if applicable. You may also be able to respond directly to the job posting. Once you are in the agency’s system, a recruiter will review your documents and may get in touch to schedule an interview if you are a good fit. The interview helps the recruiter gain a better understanding of your career goals and objectives. You will also get a chance to receive feedback on areas of improvement so that you can better your chances of getting placed.

Keep in mind that your first interview may not be for one specific job. Recruiters work on dozens of jobs at one time and after the interview, they may find that you are a better fit for another position you had not yet seen. Interviewing is the first step to unlocking the connections that an agency’s experience and client relationships can bring you.

The Hiring Process

The most beneficial part of applying with a staffing agency is being represented by a team who puts your best foot forward to clients. After the interview, you can expect that your recruiter will share your resume, portfolio and details of the interview with the rest of the team. Once a job order from a client comes in, they will begin to make calls to viable candidates to talk about the job specifics and determine availability and interest. The candidates who fall into these categories are submitted.

Since companies often work with more than one staffing agency, it is likely they are receiving several submissions to one job since each agency will present their top candidates for the position. If the client would like to learn more about you, your recruiter would set up an interview, communicate the expectations and make sure you are prepped to meet the client. At this point, your pay and other terms of employment would be negotiated on your behalf. Because this happens directly with the client, it is important to be upfront with your needs and expectations during your initial interview.

If the client thinks you are the perfect fit for them, you can expect competitive rates and the opportunity to enroll in benefits. Since most staffing agencies provide this service at no cost to the candidates, it is a smart way to expand the reach of your search while ensuring you have the help of industry experts along the way.

Get Started

Working with a staffing agency gives you one more resource in your job search toolbox. Spend the time to refine your resume and develop clear objectives so your recruiter can find the best possible job for you. Know that you will have a team of recruiters and account executives all working behind the scenes on your behalf. You will benefit from their experience, client list and many available jobs. While you are still encouraged to use other job search resources, submitting an application to a staffing agency relieves the pressure of job searching on your own and provides guidance to make sure you find a position that is right for you.

This article was originally posted on CSU Global’s The Global Broadcast here.

I grew up with children’s books, and truly loved the stories. Every evening, a favorite book of mine renewed a spark of imagination before bedtime. Story time was the fun part of school while delivering life’s lessons and eventually encouraging me to read. Those books provide me the adventure I craved, allowed me to become a hero for a day and granted me permission to visit new worlds in my daydreams.

The books also gave me and my classmates our very first taste of typography and illustration. Those pictures welcomed us in, but it was the words which really hooked us and carried us away. Some books were easier to read, and some more difficult, depending on our age and reading ability. Word length, character size, and quantity of type versus white space on the page either created comfort or presented a challenge.

In the 70s, the time of my childhood, most of our classic children’s books were typeset in large typefaces from the classifications Humanist Serif (or Old Style) and Transitional Serif.

Both serif styles differ in calligraphic style and stroke contrast, but they were both used in children’s books for their similar legibility. These two classes were popular for book typesetting because they are easy to read, mainly attributed from the following five characteristics.

1. High x-height The x-height of a character refers to the visual size of the typestyle, not the point size. Compare the heights of the lowercase ‘x’ from a Humanist Serif to another typeface, and that will give you an idea of how ‘large’ and legible it is.

Both of these are Transitional Serifs, but Baskerville is easier to read than Mrs. Eaves, because of its high x-height.

2. Large counters Another indication of letterform size is in the size of the counters. Letters containing closed counters include A, B, D, O, P, Q, R, a, b, d, e, g, o, p, and q. Open counters have apertures (open “mouths”) and exist in the letters c, f, h, i, s and so on. When the counters are larger, they are easier to read.

3. Wide bracketed serifs Brackets are the curved connection between the stem and serif. Think of a wall being a stem and a shelf being a serif. A bracket is used under the shelf to hold it up. Wide serifs with brackets help the reader identify the letter.

4. Double-story allographs Allographs are considered variants of a letter. The lowercase versions of letter g and letter a have two types of variants. The one we learned how to write in grade school penmanship is single-story. The alternative is double-story. The double-story variants are easier to read because there’s more visual indicators in the letterform.

5. Moderate contrast in stroke variation due to calligraphic origins When there is some contrast and stroke distinction in the letterform, it aids in readability.

The overall layout of the text pages implies the reading level. Large format, type size, white space and illustrations will visually communicate that the book is for beginners. Smaller page size, smaller type size and dense copy with little or no visuals will appeal to older readers. When a child opens the book, they know if they can read it or not, before reading any of the words.

The book Corduroy by Don Freeman (1976) is about a bear who wanders around a department store after closing time. It was a favorite of mine when I was very young. Looking at the text page, the copy is set in a classic Humanist typeface called Palatino, which has a large x-height and wide counters. Only one or two sentences are set at a time, which indicates the book is for toddlers.

Early readers love Little Golden Books. I used to carry my 12-book box set around the house and would pull out the gold-spined volumes one-by-one. One of the originals, The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey (1942) is also set in a Humanist typeface, Garamond.

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White (1952) is a book written for tween readers. The page is set in Caslon, which has been classified both as Humanist and Transitional Serif.

Pull out your old books and take a look inside. Most of the classics were set in serif. And more recent ones, depending on their concept, might be set in sans serif. Either way, they probably have large x-heights, wide characters, and two-story allographs to keep kids reading.

Which books did you love as a child? Did they have memorable typesetting? Please share your favorite books and tidbit ideas on Twitter, don’t forget to tag @TypeEd. I’d love to know what typography first influenced you as a young reader.

All book images are sourced courtesy of Google books and material copyrighted by their authors.

Rachel Elnar is the producer and co-founder at TypeEd, where she helps bring the craft of typography back to design education. Get more type in your inbox and sign up for more about TypeEd columns (and other announcements).