Type is absolutely everywhere — anything that can be read is type — street signs, websites, magazines, cell phones, newspapers, t-shirts, restaurant menus, you name it. Type is something that many people never think about but is all around us. Notice the font used for this text? It’s Verdana, a font created by designer Matthew Carter, for Microsoft in 1996.

Fonts, or typefaces, used to be chiseled on metal blocks and printed with the letterpress. They have come a long way since then. Now, typefaces are digitized and everyone can pick a font from a drop down menu when typing an email.

However, type is about much more than just picking fonts. There is a functional aspect. Clear, readable fonts are important for everyday life because they help determine the speed of obtaining information. The way letters and words are placed in relation to each other takes a big part in this as well. Road signs are good examples in showing the importance of type in the everyday.

Aside from the functional aspect, type also works subconsciously, sometimes on an emotional level. In other words, different fonts have different effects on readers, though they may not realize it. An article in a newspaper set in Times New Roman is perceived very differently than if it is set in, say, Comic Sans.

Part of the reason why the font, Helvetica, is such a popular choice for company logos is because of its functionality and neutral quality. Helvetica is carefully designed with precise shapes and spaces, so that letters work well beside one another, making it legible from any distance. Using Helvetica for an advertisement will almost automatically make it seem trustworthy and reliable, because it is so clear in the way it communicates. However, if everything is in Helvetica, the world will be very dull because it is so neutral and lacking in personality.

To conclude, I am not saying everyone should be crazy about fonts and letters, but people should realize that type is all around us, affecting how we express ourselves and take in information. It is the visual form of how we communicate. Or as Ellen Lupton writes in Thinking With Type, “Typography is what language looks like.”

By the way, never use Comic Sans for anything! maybe with the exception of comics.

 2 Comments
+ share