I’m Tom Robin Karlsson, the founder, and designer at AboutFonts.com. I’ve always been a dreamer. As a kid, I used to stay up late at night writing stories and creating characters who could do anything they wanted in life.
When I got older, I learned that some dreams are better left as flights of fancy—and others are meant to become a reality.
My latest endeavor has opened up so many new possibilities for the people around me and me. It’s not just about making money or staying busy; it’s about taking this chance to live out my narrative in ways I never thought possible.
That said, there have been plenty of challenges along the way; starting any business is difficult, but starting one based on your creative passions makes it all seem even harder!
I’m always amazed when a friend tells me they’re starting something new. It’s one of the things I most value in human beings: The ability to start over.
I’m always amazed when a friend tells me they’re starting something new. It’s one of the things I most value in human beings: The ability to start over.
Starting over is a great thing because it allows you to see what you want from life and how to get there, rather than living in a world where everything has already been decided for you. It’s great for self-improvement and personal development, confidence and creativity, and learning new things—and why not? The only way we can be truly happy is by taking responsibility for our own lives.
Starting over also means that we have no preconceived notions about what success looks like or how long it will take us to get there—and this is an incredibly freeing feeling!
As I began to explore the professional side of type design more seriously, I started to dive into the complexities of providing quality fonts to customers as a business, aboutfonts.com was born.
As I began to explore the professional side of type design more seriously, I started to dive into the complexities of providing quality fonts to customers as a business.
The business side of type design isn’t something that you hear about too often. It’s expected that if you have a font, it should be able to be sold and purchased by anyone who wants it—but there are many logistical details involved with selling your work, especially if you want to do so legally.
Legal issues aside, there are also technical considerations when selling your own fonts: ensuring that they work on different platforms and operating systems (Windows/Mac/Linux), optimizing them for web use (webfont vs ttf vs otf), making sure they contain all necessary language support characters needed in order for them not only function correctly but look good as well (like special diacritics or ligatures). Then there are artistic considerations like how long did it take me? And finally the human side: How much does this cost? What am I making from this?
It makes sense that as humans, we find security in stability and resistance in change. But change is where you’ll find some of your life’s greatest rewards.
Change is inevitable, but how you choose to respond to change is up to you. We’ve all had moments where we felt ourselves being swept under by the current of change, and it’s not always easy to cope with. But it’s important that we realize that change can be a good thing, especially when you’re working towards something greater than yourself.
Don’t be afraid to start over or start anew, it can be a great ride!
In our case, we had a few setbacks, but it ended up being the best thing for us. We learned so much about what works and what does not. We met amazing people in the process who have become lifelong friends. And we now have a brand that I am truly proud of and happy with!
Be brave, and don’t be afraid to start over or start anew—it can be a great ride!