Typography: How to Download and Install Fonts on Your Mac

01. Find the right font

You might already have a font in mind that you want to download, but if you’re just browsing, Adobe Fonts, DaFont, Creative Market, and MyFonts are the best places to find a range of typefaces. Access to Adobe Fonts is included with Adobe subscriptions, and all fonts are excellently crafted and cleared for professional use, while DaFont is free and many are only available for personal use. Creative Market and MyFonts feature a range of professional, well-known fonts to buy and download at standard pricing.

02. Download the font

Whatever website you find your font on, there will be a Download button either already or after buying. Click this and a downloading motion graphic will flash across the screen.

03. Open the download

In the top right-hand corner, there will be a Downloads icon. It might now be flashing grey to help you find it. When you click on this, a small panel will appear next to it with a file named after the font you just downloaded. In the example, we’re downloading a font called Lemon Milk, so when we clicked on the Downloads icon, a file named lemon_milk.zip appeared in the panel. Double-click on the file.

04. Expand the zip file

After double-clicking on the file, the Downloads window will pop up in Finder with a zip file already selected. The zip file will be named after your font and will have the extension .zip. This contains the files needed to install the font. Double-click on the zip file. A folder will appear next to it, also named after the font. Open this folder.

05. Open the .otf files

The folder will contain one or more .otf files, and usually a .txt file as well. The .otf files are the font itself. If there are several, each one will install a different weight or variation of the font family. The .txt file will contain information about the licensing and usage of the font. It is important to read this to make sure you use the font within the correct permissions. There might also be .png files in the folder; these are just flat images included as examples of how the font should look once you have downloaded it. To continue installing the font, double-click on the first .otf file to open it.

06. Click on ‘Install’

Opening the .otf file will automatically launch the Fonts app, which is where all the typefaces on your Mac are stored. A pop-up window will already be open in the app showing a preview of the font. Click on Install.

07. Repeat the process

If you have more weights and variations of the font family to install, repeat the same process with each .otf file.

08. Read the licensing document

Remember that .txt file we mentioned earlier? Now is the time to read it. It’s something that should not be overlooked so that you can ensure the font is licensed to be used in the places you intend to use it. Double-click on the .txt file and double-check the license.

09. Get designing!

You’re ready to go! The whole font family is now available to use in all applications and software across your whole Mac. Now go and get designing.

FAQs

Q: Where can I find a range of typefaces?
A: Adobe Fonts, DaFont, Creative Market, and MyFonts are great places to find a range of typefaces.

Q: How do I download a font?
A: Click the Download button on the website you found the font on.

Q: How do I install a font?
A: Follow the steps outlined in this article to install a font on your Mac.

Q: What do I need to do with the .txt file?
A: Read it to ensure the font is licensed to be used in the places you intend to use it.

Awe-Inspiring Battles with Traditional Inks

Get Started by Creating Some Thumbnails

Any good picture begins with a hearty thumbnailing session! This is an important stage as it lets you experiment with ideas and make mistakes without investing too much time. I went into this picture with the rough idea that I wanted it to be an outdoor battle scene featuring a huge pile of figures, with lots of little duels playing out across the image. In my thumbnail sketches, you can see that I’m looking at the general shape of the composition as well as sketching out ideas for individual fights between the characters.

Draw an Initial Sketch

With this being a traditional picture, it’s essential that everything is laid out successfully early on, as it will be hard to move elements once we start painting. To help achieve this, sketch everything super loosely to begin with. This allows you to rub out and move elements around to find the best possible composition. The important thing to get across at this stage is the general pose of the figures and the space they’ll occupy.

Refine the Image

Once you’re happy with the initial sketch, head in and start adding details to the figures. We’ll be refining and adding more details later on, so the sketch doesn’t need to be super detailed or precise. The goal here is simply to have a solid framework that we can paint over.

Make a Tonal Mock-up

Scan in the sketch and use it as a base for a tonal digital sketch. With this being such a complex piece, it’s helpful to have something to aim for and refer back to while painting. This digital mock-up provides a better idea of what the finished painting will look like, while showing us where the shadows and highlights will need to be.

Prepare Your Ink

With all the details being locked in with the pen, we can put washes of watered-down ink over the top. This allows us to focus on refining the tonal aspects of the painting while keeping our details. The goal here is to suggest colour though black and white tones; elements that would be brown, red or black will appear darker and lighter-coloured elements will be paler. Looking at black and white photography here can be helpful.

Deepen the Shadows

To get the maximum level of depth in a painting, you need to use the full spectrum of values available. Until now we’ve been watering down the black ink, but here we’ll go in with pure black and place it in selective areas. It’s easy to go overboard; less is more here. After this stage, you’ll find the painting begins to pop.

Develop Background Elements

So far we’ve been focusing almost exclusively on the foreground figures, as they’re the focal point and require the most work. We want to give the impression that this scene is part of a wider vista. With super watered down ink, paint the suggestion of figures fighting in the background as well as a huge industrial structure. Try boiling down your background figures into areas of light and areas of shadow, as this will make them easier to read and quicker to render.

Add the Mid-Tones

You might be forgiven for thinking the painting looks finished at this point, but there’s one crucial stage still to be done. I mentioned earlier that these inks can be used like watercolours, but can also be used like typical acrylic paints. We’ll be painting in the mid-tones with opaque grey ink mixed from the white and the black. To achieve this, make a mixture of a big splash of grey and then adjust the exact tone depending on the area that you’re touching in on the image.

Complete the Painting

Go over the foreground elements, picking out the mid-tones with the opaque grey ink. This gives the foreground figures a pleasing physicality, which contrasts nicely with the translucently painted background. The other advantage of this is that it’s a last opportunity to adjust the highlights and tones, giving the suggestion of colour to this greyscale painting.

Conclusion

This process for painting an awe-inspiring battle scene with traditional inks involves thumbnailing, sketching, refining, and layering. It requires patience and attention to detail, but the results can be truly stunning.

FAQs

Q: What kind of ink should I use?
A: I used acrylic inks for this piece, as they are flexible and offer a huge variety of approaches.

Q: How do I achieve the mid-tones?
A: You can achieve the mid-tones by mixing opaque grey ink from the white and black inks.

Q: What is the importance of thumbnailing?
A: Thumbnailing is an important stage in the process, as it allows you to experiment with ideas and make mistakes without investing too much time.

Heads up, creatives! There’s just one day left to save 50% on Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps (or 70% if you’re a student!) The Black Friday and Cyber Monday had been extended from last weekend, but it ends today, and it’s likely to be the best deal on Adobe’s software until Black Friday 2025.

The Best Adobe Deal This Year

The best Adobe deal this year reduces the price of a 12-month subscription to the likes of Photoshop, Premiere Pro, After Effects and Illustrator from $59.99 to $29.99 per month in the US. That’s a saving of $299 over a year. Similar discounts equivalent to 50% off are available in other countries, and the usual free seven-day trial applies, so you have time to test out the apps before you start paying anything (see our full Adobe software list for more details on what apps come included in Creative Cloud).

Who Can Use the Adobe Half-Price Deal?

The Adobe Creative Cloud half-price deal applies only to new subscribers for their first year. Students can get an even better deal, claiming 70% off.

After 12 months, your subscription charge will increase to the standard price, although you can always cancel at that point and see if Adobe offers a discount.

Note that the discount only applies to the Adobe Creative Cloud All-Apps plan. Single-app subscriptions remain at the usual price of $19.99. That means that the all-app package costs only $10 more than the price of a single app, making it the obvious choice unless you’re really sure that you’ll only need to use just one Adobe program during the next 12 months.

When Does the Adobe Sale End?

Adobe says its 2024 Cyber Monday Creative Cloud sale will end on Sunday 8 December (today!). We don’t expect to see another deal like this until next year.

Why is Adobe Creative Cloud so Popular?

Adobe’s Creative Cloud apps are popular partly because many creatives simply have to use them since they’re the programs most used in their fields. However, in most cases, Adobe’s software is simply the best on the market. Every year, it introduces new features to improve the apps, keeping the ahead of the competition – most recently with many generative AI tools. As a subscriber you automatically get access to all new features as soon as they’re released (or even before the full releases if you install the beta versions).

Many Adobe apps integrate well with each other, allowing creatives to work across a seamless ecosystem. And as well as the 20 plus software programs themselves, you’ll also get access to a range of fonts, stock images, and other creative assets.

Conclusion

If you’re a creative looking for a great deal on Adobe’s software, today is your last chance to take advantage of the 50% discount on the Adobe Creative Cloud All-Apps plan. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to save hundreds of dollars and get access to the industry’s best creative tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who is eligible for the Adobe half-price deal?

A: The Adobe Creative Cloud half-price deal applies to new subscribers for their first year. Students can get an even better deal, claiming 70% off.

Q: Will my subscription price increase after 12 months?

A: Yes, your subscription charge will increase to the standard price after 12 months. However, you can always cancel at that point and see if Adobe offers a discount.

Q: Does the discount apply to single-app subscriptions?

A: No, the discount only applies to the Adobe Creative Cloud All-Apps plan. Single-app subscriptions remain at the usual price of $19.99.

Q: Will I get access to all new features as a subscriber?

A: Yes, as a subscriber, you’ll automatically get access to all new features as soon as they’re released (or even before the full releases if you install the beta versions).