What’s Your Type?
Posted by Jenny on 11/6/07 in Daily, NaBloPoMo
Alternatively titled “How my job takes over my life”
Here’s something you may or may not know about me: I am a type freak. I’m that girl who walks into a restaurant, takes one look at the menu and instead of saying “Doesn’t the vegetarian thai curry look delicious?” I will comment “Ohhhh nice use of Edwardian Script.”
Yeah. That girl.
Take a look around my site. I’ve handpicked typefaces that I am completely enamored with. No typeface on this site was an accident. Lucida Grande (for you Mac users) is one of my all time favorite typefaces (my blog posts are Lucida Grande on Macs, Arial on PCs). I use Lucida all over my life: whip out my business card, a photography contract, labels around my house - it’s there.
An older “fun” favorite are different kinds of pixel fonts. I think used correctly and in moderation, they can be a fun addition to a piece. And for a sample, I refer you to my masthead “tag line” (in most cases I’d say keep it to the web, and be sure to set the anti-aliasing to “none”) .
Also up there on my masthead (and in my JennyFrazier.com “ad”) is my new obsession: Rockwell. It’s a fantastic slab serif with subtle details that I love (I like the way the J dips slightly below the baseline).
Sometimes I play games with myself and see how many typefaces I can identify when I’m walking around the city. When together with friends who also know their way around design programs, it becomes a fun little competition. I’m weird. I get it.
There are of course a list of typefaces that I do not like, and will try to the best of my ability to never use. And then there are the few that I despise with all the hate in my type-obsessed heart. And if you use them, I’m not afraid to tell you to your face that your type sucks.
Typeface #1: This is more of a “category” of typefaces because what started with one really bad example, spiraled into a bottomless pit of crap. HANDWRITING TYPEFACES. Seriously. There is no reason to ever use one of these. Try and argue me on this one. You will not win. I do not care if you are doing a brochure for a daycare, or a clever ad design styled to look like someone’s messy desk littered with Post-It Notes: step away from the computer, do not use a handwriting typeface …. WRITE IT YOURSELF AND SCAN IT. Or if it’s for the kid brochure, grab some kid of the street and get some crayon scribbles AND SCAN THAT. Just trust me on this one (and get permission from the parents of that kid you kidnapped).
Typeface #2: Before I reveal the next typeface I have to apologize to my friend Sasky in case she reads this post. I’m sorry I am going to rip on the typeface you used for your wedding. But now that I’m writing this out, I think I have actually told you how much I hate this typeface. Your wedding was fantastic, the goodie bags - even better! In fact, I’m using the mug RIGHT NOW that you and Tony gave away (type facing away from me!). Sorry girl, but …. PAPYRUS. I hate this typeface with all the hate a person can possibly put on a typeface.
I mean I don’t love the way it looks, but I don’t love the way a lot of typefaces look. Here’s my problem with it: it is over used, not original and it’s totally been “type casted”. GET IT!?
Seriously, spas, hair salons, nail salons, yoga studios and a good amount of restaurants LOVE THIS TYPEFACE. Spas especially. And yeah it’s annoying that all these kinds of businesses use it, as if they’re the first. It’s the WAY they use it. Because they use it in a way you can’t HELP but notice because they use it EVERYWHERE. I have seen FULL MENUS with this typeface. It is a decorative typeface! These should be used sparingly for drama! When I see whole pages of this typeface, it might as well be a page full of gylphs. Stupid, ugly bad typeface glyphs.
Ok I’m getting all heated. Need to back away from the Papyrus. Forever. (You too spas! Try a nice clean sans serif. I promise your customers will love it.)
So I’m no type expert. I’m not even close. I do design, with type, everyday and have some favorites that I like to point out and would go so far as to recommend. It’s just an entry filled with opinions. But I started it because I notice type. All the time. I just do. (And after this entry you will TOTALLY notice Papyrus. Everywhere.) I will start conversations based on type I see. I just posted on a message board and talked about one of the reasons I like my full name is because it has two Ys and a Z in it and aren’t those so fun to design with?
That’s the fun in being a graphic designer: design is everywhere. I see it, I take notes, I discuss it, I play games with it. It literally is my life and that is the best part about my job. So I want to know, how does your job take over your life? (Or you can just yell at me for my type faves!)
Here’s a sample of all the typefaces I’ve mentioned in this entry. The only one that’s NOT labeled in the typeface used for the headers. It’s called Bembo and is a great serif if you’re in the market. Make sure you get the full family: regular, oblique, bold, semibold, semibold oblique, extra bold, extra bold oblique.)
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sasky | Nov 6, 2007 | Reply
No offense taken! I saw that coming from a mile away. ;-) I’m a typeface moron (and totally okay with that!), so such critiques are pretty lost on me… as was this entry.
Amanda | Nov 6, 2007 | Reply
Now that you mention it, I HAVE seen the Papyrus EVERYWHERE. It can be pretty but I agree it should be used sparingly.
I have my M.Ed. in psychology, so that tends to take over my life in the form of people always asking me what they have or what they should take or what a certain behavior means.
I work full-time in a construction office which takes over my life in the most boring way possible…I notice things like jersey barriers, cranes, concrete pumps, and holy crap is Williams Scotsman really the ONLY supplier for office trailers? Yeah. I’m boring.
AK | Nov 6, 2007 | Reply
No hate for Tahoma? No hate for Comic Sans? Or is that low hanging fruit?
Mrs. Andrews | Nov 6, 2007 | Reply
I hate the font Sand. People think it looks all creepy, but to me it just looks cheap.
I think I did type an entire menu in Papyrus when I was temping at the Taj Hotel in Boston, so you might want to skip their cafe…
Sarah | Nov 6, 2007 | Reply
I wouldn’t say my job takes over my life but I will never look at a hotel the same again now that I have seen one built from the inside out. When I see hotel rooms in movies now I find myself calculating things like what a pain in the ass installing that specific vanity must have been. Glamourous, I know!
Now onto types. I know you will hate but Lucida Handwriting is the BOMB
http://www.ascendercorp.com/msfonts/lucida_handwriting_italic.html
I use it on all my outgoing package mailing labels at work. I think it adds a little something extra. For nearly everything else I love me some Trebuchet and Arial Narrow.
And because of college, and the billion page papers I had to write, I will always have a special place in my heart for Teletype.
Jenny | Nov 6, 2007 | Reply
Sasky: :)
Amanda: RIGHT?!
AK: I said there are plenty of typefaces I dislike. I just don’t have the time or energy to get into all of them!!
Steph: Done …. and done. (Just kidding. Maybe.)
Sarah: You’re right … i do hate. haha. But I do love the sentimental type talk.
Jenn | Nov 6, 2007 | Reply
OMG Papyrus sucks my ass and I’m so tired of seeing it that I think it makes my eyes bleed a little now.
Hey restaurants/spas/yoga studios et al, how about trying a font that’s not so instantly recognizable that it’s a joke?
Comic Sans = the devil. Why do I fairly often come across it being used in PROFESSIONAL DOCUMENTS??? That makes me cry.
Jenny, I love all the fonts you highlighted as favorites. Some favs of mine - Officina and Whitney. My boyfriend and I are both type geeks though he is more of one than me and can spend endless time hunting down “the perfect font” for project X, Y or Z.
Lastly, to answer your real question I am a total dork for whatever place I work… I’ve worked at an engineering firm, an architecture firm, a construction company and now a real estate development/property management firm. Here’s what people have to hear me say all the time: “We built that.” “We put that elevator in.” “We’re building all the Apple stores now.” “We own that building.” “We’re buying that building.” and etc. ad nauseam.
Victoria | Nov 6, 2007 | Reply
I can’t get past handwriting fonts because they make me think of “Dawson’s Creek.” Let’s face it: it’s just not smart to use something in a professional manner that will conjure either images of James van der Beek’s hair (which will prompt said individual to run away or curl up in the fetal position) or Joshua Jackson (which is distracting. In that good, snarky, Canadian, hockey-playing — I’m sorry, what was I saying?)…
krista | Nov 6, 2007 | Reply
I am a tahoma and franklin gothic fan myselfish!
Jenny | Nov 6, 2007 | Reply
I was on a Franklin Gothic kick for a long time!
FYI for Blogtoberfest type fans … I did the logo in Ballpark Weiner (”Boston”) and News Gothic (”Blogtoberfest v 2.007″).
News Gothic is another great sans serif. Somewhat similar to Arial Narrow, but slighty more … sophisticated.
Jenny Dagle | Nov 7, 2007 | Reply
This is the kind of thing I obsess about for myself, but wouldn’t necessarily notice in the world around me. Until now, of course.
kate.d. | Nov 7, 2007 | Reply
oh my god, comic sans inspires a hatred in me equaled only by crocs.
my comrades in arms:
http://www.bancomicsans.com/home.html
(sorry i am too lazy to even link that shit up. it has been a long week already.)
John Wall | Nov 7, 2007 | Reply
One of my greatest possessions as a marketeer is the 7 Gig pile of fonts I have amassed over the years. If only I had time to dig through it…
Jenny | Nov 7, 2007 | Reply
7 gigs?! I am officially jealous. Although I have 2,700+ and haven’t made it through 25% of those …..
I just like HAVING them.
kim | Nov 8, 2007 | Reply
i guess my comment to this post went into akismet-heaven with the two *gasp* links it had in it. oh well… ;)
Katie | Nov 8, 2007 | Reply
Last night one of the categories on Jeopordy was font type…I could not stop laughing! You would have housed that one!
Jenny | Nov 8, 2007 | Reply
DAMNIT! Of all the Jeopordys to miss!