Hello all, I hope this post is appropriate for this topic.
I used to be a type nerd, designer/digitizer in late 80's early 90's, and with a partner ran a small font company where we created and sold dozens of fonts and our font editor app. to the Atari ST/Calamus market. Things changed suddenly back then and I had to find a job. ... Here I am 30 years later and on Jan. 1st this year was relieved of my employment status of 16 years at the Humungous Software Corp. (Not that one. Or that one.)
With all my new spare time, I began thinking about designing and drawing fonts again, and so I've spent the last couple weeks doing just that -- and I'm loving it. I've spent 12-16 hours a day at my desk designing and drawing. It's so much more relaxing than the pressure-cooker cubicle at the office where I did things I really didn't enjoy. It's dang cathartic. I have now vowed to only take jobs I enjoy doing, for sanity's sake.
Anyway, my question for you is this: Are there jobs out there for folks to just digitize/draw fonts? I have no interest in starting a foundry and running a business again (at least I don't think I do). I just want to draw. What type of company would hire someone like me (okay, me specifically)? I'm quite out of the type industry loop and not sure where to even investigate. I am somewhat technical and very font nerdy and history-loving, but I am not a software developer -- at least not employably so.
What directions should I look? Where might the opportunities lie, if any? Your thoughts are appreciated.
-- Todd J.