Like it or not…
by Robin Mitchell
This is my first blog post anywhere, ever! Oh, I am such a print-y lady. Of course, it is a post on…type!
Sometimes people ask me if I “like” a typeface that they are interested in using. Although I personally like some faces more than others (Akzidenz Grotesk, Clarendon, Info, Jenson, Bodoni, Century, Bell MT, Joanna and Electra) I think it’s not a good idea to approach typography this way. The question is “is it appropriate?” not “do I like it”. For display type, you could examine the rhythm of the letters in your words — are there lots of straight lines, with letters like “MNT”? Or repetitions of more circular forms, like “abc”. How can you emphasize the form? Or you can choose to interpret the content.
There are also practical considerations, such as legibility, or space considerations. So, if you need to make a short word fit across a wide space, you wouldn’t want to use a condensed face.
But anyways, I don’t want to to “like” or “dislike” in professional discussions. I am going to try to avoid using those words. Besides, what I like one week, I might not like the next. I mean, typography has trends, too!
So, in the spirit of this, I am going to answer the “do you like futura” question, which I’ve been asked by a few people. I had no idea that futura was so controversial. Or that VFS had such hotblooded typographers! Myself, I’ve only used Futura a couple of times in the last eight years….