The Art of Proofreading: Fontsmith Brandfont

Brief: Proofread Fontsmith’s Brandfont books 

Working with really fantastic marketing agencies is an exciting part of being a freelancer. Luckily for me, Leeds is a short drive away. It is a thriving hub of some of the most dynamic agencies in the world.

As a freelancer, you’re always learning about new businesses and you’re immersed in exciting new sectors regularly. The project with Fontsmith, via a Leeds marketing agency, was arguably one of my most interesting.

About Fontsmith

What does Fontsmith do? Quite simply, it designs fonts – typefaces. Companies use Fontsmith when they want to convey a unique, clearly identifiable visual brand. Fonts can be licensed from Fontsmith or bespoke types designed. Sounds simple, but the craft, knowledge and effort in the detail surprised even me.

Prior to its acquisition by London-based studio Monotype, Fontsmith created a number of Brandfont books to promote its services. It was my job to proofread them. As I’m really interested in design, I found the content thoroughly enthralling!

Proofreading skills

Proofreading this 120-page document followed several stages, including:

1. Initial document read for general understanding;
2. Second read to confirm my understanding and improve knowledge of the text and layout;
3. Check consistency of tone of voice;
4. Check of factual content;
5. Proofreading headings, footers, page numbers and contents list;
6. Spelling and grammar check.

Proofreading is a thorough process. Experience has helped me devise my own proofreading checklist.

Working remotely from home in Huddersfield, I kept in regular contact with the agency in Leeds. The job was delivered on time, of course!