View Full Version : Font Chat
drewprops
2009-11-01, 21:48
How about a thread for discussing typefaces?
A client is entertaining the idea of switching his company's wordmark to that wonderful, yet highly overused typeface Copperplate. I want to err on the side of caution on how to explain the downside of using it, as he's quite fond of the look his company had in the 1980s... but would enjoy hearing your thoughts.
…
How about a thread for discussing typefaces?
A client is entertaining the idea of switching his company's wordmark to that wonderful, yet highly overused typeface Copperplate.
NO NO NO NO NO! :wtf: :wtf: :wtf:
Copperplate eats my soul.
YES YES YES YES YES! :D :D :D
Copperplate rules.
http://i38.tinypic.com/53llds.png
http://i38.tinypic.com/53llds.png
O HAI IZ GRATE LOGO lol
drewprops
2009-11-02, 15:35
you're making baby pirates cry!
I have to tell them that the design they want looks straight out of the 80s, but the 80s were their golden years... I fear that we're going back to the future... :(
wait, is that PAPYRUS for the links???!!!
GAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!
…
wait, is that PAPYRUS for the links???!!!Copperplate, Papyrus and Comic Sans all in one place.
Or, as us font geeks like to refer to that: the ninth circle of hell. :wtf:
Is it 1981?
2009-11-02, 16:11
Gimme Comic Sans! (http://noveltybeard.co.cc/comicsans/)
A bookmarklet to, well... you get the idea. :lol:
Awesome link!
http://bryson.albassamtheatre.com//ZZ24404FDD.jpg
Is it 1981?
2009-11-02, 16:30
Somehow the Daily Mail and Fox become ever so slightly more credible...
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/88016/comicsans_mail.png
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/88016/comicsans_fox.png
I have to tell them that the design they want looks straight out of the 80s, but the 80s were their golden years... I fear that we're going back to the future... :(
http://www.8bitkid.com/files/2008/06/miami_vice.thumbnail.jpg
Crockett and Tubbs approve of this redesign.
screensaver400
2009-11-03, 12:27
On a more serious note, what does everyone use as a "serious" font for academic essays and the like? Some professors absolutely require Times New Roman, which annoys me, but others merely require a traditional serif font.
I like Adobe Jenson Pro and Adobe Caslon Pro a lot. I used to like the various Garamonds a lot, but I've kind of gotten tired of them.
I'm particularly fond of HTF's Requiem, which I got from a friend, but I'm not sure it's appropriate for essays (the Q's tail is quite long, for instance), and for some reason the OTF version he had doesn't produce ligatures automatically (though it has them—they need to be added manually, which is a pain).
SpecMode
2009-11-03, 13:16
I'm rather fond of the Myriad family, myself - I find myself using Myriad Set Text a lot for stuff on my machine.
I don't use my Macs for anything work-related, so I pretty much am stuck with whatever the Windows machines in the office have installed when it comes to that. Bleargh.
Tangent: I wonder if Adobe still includes copies of the Myriad Pro and Minion Pro fonts with the latest Adobe Reader installs?
Bembo, Garamond, & Cochin. Probably in that order. I don't really use Times, unless it's required (if the only allowed alternative is Arial, that counts as "required.")
But I use sans fonts, mostly. It saddens me that Gotham and Myriad are becoming cliche.
I'm a sucker for Hoefler Text.
screensaver400
2009-11-03, 15:28
But I use sans fonts, mostly. It saddens me that Gotham and Myriad are becoming cliche.
The Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Virginia (can't for the life of me remember his name...) is using Gotham. His stuff looks almost exactly like Obama's last year.
Is it 1981?
2009-11-03, 16:04
Bembo, Garamond, & Cochin. Probably in that order.
But I use sans fonts, mostly. It saddens me that Gotham and Myriad are becoming cliche.
Bembo and Garamond are SEX. Very true about Gotham and Myriad – Gotham caps look stunning, but I've never been a fan of the lowercase characters.
Helvetica for me, though. Overused, yes, but god does it looks sexy if used well.
ezkcdude
2009-11-03, 16:15
The best web font is Verdana. The best font for reading long articles is Times New Roman or Palatino.
Palatino FTW. It's about as perfect a serif typeface that there is (that's widely distributed).
billybobsky
2009-11-05, 01:15
The best web font is Verdana. The best font for reading long articles is Times New Roman or Palatino.
If by long articles, you mean by slowing readers down, then sure.
Sans serif fonts are better for faster reading; probably because there is more distinction/distance between letters.
I have used comic sans in a science talk recently...
I think I have chosen the font combination for my dissertation: titles, section heads and number in times, body text in arial.
as for those science talks, one wants an informal font -- any suggestions?
Sans serif fonts are better for faster reading;
[citation needed]
I think I have chosen the font combination for my dissertation: titles, section heads and number in times, body text in arial.
as for those science talks, one wants an informal font -- any suggestions?
Arial?
ARIAL‽
Yes, I find the use of Arial even more outrageous than that of Comic Sans. So sue me. :p
SpecMode
2009-11-05, 03:31
ARIAL‽
You really love using that interrobang, don't you? :p ;)
You really love using that interrobang, don't you? :p ;)
Why yes, glad you asked. :D
ezkcdude
2009-11-05, 06:13
Arial?
ARIAL‽
Yes, I find the use of Arial even more outrageous than that of Comic Sans. So sue me. :p
Totally agree. Maybe he's joking.
ezkcdude
2009-11-05, 06:16
I have used comic sans in a science talk recently...
I used it when I was a first year grad student. Once. The most "informal" font I use these days, and rarely, would be Georgia or Garamond.
I think I have chosen the font combination for my dissertation: titles, section heads and number in times, body text in arial.
as for those science talks, one wants an informal font -- any suggestions?
I wrote my thesis using LaTex and used the default computer modern font. Now for all my proposals I am using Palatino. I got bored with Times New Roman. I don't know why in the world you would choose Arial unless you want to blind your committee. :)
Totally agree. Maybe he's joking.
Yeah. Made the mistake of reading that just after waking up. It's clearly sarcastic. ;)
Yes, I find the use of Arial even more outrageous than that of Comic Sans. So sue me. :p
I do too. Comic Sans is bad because it's cliche, and because it's used inappropriately ("I'll change the font to Comic Sans to make this sexual harassment poster look FUN! Ooh, do they have sexual harassment Screen Beans?"). It could, theoretically, be appropriate sometime. Maybe.
But there is no reason to ever use Arial. Ever. It basically says, "I can't afford Helvetica."
I do too. Comic Sans is bad because it's cliche, and because it's used inappropriately ("I'll change the font to Comic Sans to make this sexual harassment poster look FUN! Ooh, do they have sexual harassment Screen Beans?"). It could, theoretically, be appropriate sometime. Maybe.
But there is no reason to ever use Arial. Ever. It basically says, "I can't afford Helvetica."
QFT.
An oldie but still brings a smile to the designer in me.
Font Conference. (http://current.com/items/89133501_college-humor-typeface-crisis-at-the-font-conference.htm)
turbulentfurball
2009-11-05, 16:08
Oh sweet Lord. I've just seen Comic Sans used in a Scottish Government ran site. (http://www.infoscotland.com/prescriptions/)
Make it go away!
psmith2.0
2009-11-05, 16:45
I think it's used for that casual, handwritten look. But there are all kinds to use. I'm not a big fan, only because it's everywhere. I guess that's the point.
I had an official letter of rejection (just for a class I wanted to take) arrive written in Comic.. it was comical.
I had an official letter of rejection (just for a class I wanted to take) arrive written in Comic.. it was comical.
Ask yourself: Is that a class you really wanted to take?
If by long articles, you mean by slowing readers down, then sure.
Sans serif fonts are better for faster reading; probably because there is more distinction/distance between letters.
[citation needed]
Hey billybobsky,
I think you'll find it surprising to learn that actually isn't true!* Sans-serif fonts are slower to read by about 2.2%. The difference is negligible though, so you can use what you like. There are more serious issues, like using all capital letters in headlines (12-13% average lengthening of reading time), monospaced fonts (4.7% delay), 12 and 14 pt fonts (5-6% delay) (ideally use 10 or 11pt), and 6.5 inch line length for 12 pt font (3% delay) (ideally use 2.75 to 4 inches). I use Century Schoolbook (serif font) in my writing and use as many of the suggestions as the rules allow.
*See Ruth Anne Robbins, Painting with Print: Incorporating Concepts of Typographic and Layout Design into the Text of Legal Writing Documents (http://www.ca7.uscourts.gov/Rules/Painting_with_Print.pdf), 2 JAWLD 108 (2007); citing Miles A.Tinker, Legibility of Print 48 (1964); Donald G. Paterson & Miles A. Tinker, Studies of Typographical Factors Influencing Speed of Reading X. Style of Type Forms, 16 J. Applied Psychol. 605 (Dec. 1932); S.S. Jha & C.N. Daftuar, Legibility of Type Faces, 25 No. 2 J.of Psychol. Research 108, 109 (1981)
Gimme Comic Sans! (http://noveltybeard.co.cc/comicsans/)
A bookmarklet to, well... you get the idea. :lol:
And now, in another excellent example of the Internet coming full circle....
Comic Sans Be Gone (http://www.sitharus.com/comic-sans-be-gone.html).
A Safari 5 extension to remove Comic Sans from all pages you view!
psmith2.0
2010-07-27, 10:23
What a bunch of mean snobs. :)
Poor little font...nobody loves it.
Mark my words: within a few years, some ironic hipster types will start to use it in their designs and posters, and it'll be the biggest thing that has ever hit and all the designers and artists will be jumping on it. Kinda like the trucker hat of typography...all it takes is one mop-haired artiste (with funky, I'm-edgier-than-you eyewear) to declare something cool and "in", and all the people around him/her will gladly jump on board and soon it'll be everywhere. Again.
Everything lame is hip again, at some point. And everything we currently think is cool and neat will be laughed at and ridiculed in 5-10 years. That's how it works. :p
So ease the hell up on Comic Sans, because you're about 4-6 years away from looking like unimaginative goons who couldn't see the forest for the trees, and the train coming down the track. :D
drewprops
2010-07-27, 11:21
Scates, go crawl back into your Naugahyde-lined Living Room Pit! :p
...
Mark my words: within a few years, some ironic hipster types will start to use it in their designs and posters, and it'll be the biggest thing that has ever hit and all the designers and artists will be jumping on it. Kinda like the trucker hat of typography...all it takes is one mop-haired artiste (with funky, I'm-edgier-than-you eyewear) to declare something cool and "in", and all the people around him/her will gladly jump on board and soon it'll be everywhere. Again.
Come on, we all know that hipsters don't really work--they live off trust funds.
Come on, we all know that hipsters don't really work--they live off trust funds.
Those aren't hipsters - they're Trustifarians.
psmith2.0
2010-07-27, 11:54
Scates, go crawl back into your Naugahyde-lined Living Room Pit! :p
...
I will, as soon as I get a refreshing Tab cola from my avocado green refrigerator. :)
Those aren't hipsters - they're Trustifarians.
I thought that was only when they have dread locks, drive range rovers, and smoke grass (e.g. half the population under 30 of Boulder, CO).
Everything lame is hip again, at some point. And everything we currently think is cool and neat will be laughed at and ridiculed in 5-10 years.
"Again" implies Comic Sans was actually "cool" to use at some point.
"Again" implies Comic Sans was actually "cool" to use at some point.
Zing! :lol:
psmith2.0
2010-07-27, 12:26
You know what I mean. Its lameness will elevate it to untold heights...just give it a little time, and in the hands of the right people. :)
O HAI
(edit) Looks like this hack only works in Safari, and, for Capella, anyway, not in Camino (http://grab.by/5BZ0). ;)
I just had to sit through a technical presentation with the slides done in Comic Sans. :wtf:
After twenty minutes of reading mathematical expressions in that font, I wanted to stick something sharp in my eyes. My vision still hasn’t readjusted...
The worst part? It was done in freaking *LaTeX*! They should know better!
I just had to sit through a technical presentation with the slides done in Comic Sans. :wtf:
A certain colleague of mine sometimes writes e-mails in Comic Sans and pink. I kid you not. :|
Presentations in Comic Sans happen scarily often at schools. :\
A certain colleague of mine sometimes writes e-mails in Comic Sans and pink. I kid you not. :|
Presentations in Comic Sans happen scarily often at schools. :\
Fortunately the professors in the computer science department at my school are a bunch of old UNIX curmudgeons still using mutt on the command-line, so everything is just in plain text. :p
But the department I’m working at this summer... it’s been more than just a few people. I don’t know what it is about this place. :|
"Again" implies Comic Sans was actually "cool" to use at some point.
Exactly. I was going to respond to pscates' post, but you said everything far more succinctly than I would have.
It's not simply that Comics Sans isn't trendy. There are trends in typography (again, just look at Gotham and Myriad!), but Comic Sans exists totally outside of that paradigm because it's simply totally inappropriate for pretty much anything. It hasn't ever been held in high esteem by people familiar with typography. It's like suggesting that dressing in rags will make a comeback as a hot prom fashion -- it won't, and it actually can't, because it was never "in" in the first place.
Presentations in Comic Sans happen scarily often at schools. :\
I've noticed this, amongst faculty. I think it's the "we're thinking of the children, see!" factor.
•••
Here's a special font-themed edition of Letters to People or Entitites Who Are Unlikely to Respond.
Dear restaurants:
Using Papyrus on your menu will not make you look upscale.
It will not make your ambience more Italian.
It will not make your wine list more "premium."
It will only make people think of Papyrus, the font. And maybe Avatar.
That is all.
There are trends in typography (again, just look at Gotham and Myriad!)
Or the sexiest font trend evar, may it one day rise from its grave:
http://i25.tinypic.com/20h8rw6.png
Dear restaurants:
t,ftfy.
psmith2.0
2010-07-27, 16:29
Exactly. I was going to respond to pscates' post, but you said everything far more succinctly than I would have.
Yes, thank you, Brad. You spared me the agony... :D
Man, you people bring nerdiness to a whole new level.
As long as I can read the damn words, I really don't give a crap what font it is.
Who really notices that stuff, and worse, knows the fonts by name just from seeing them....:wtf: :eek: :p
Take that. Nerds!
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