corporatetypefaces

Do typefaces really matter?

by   |  July 26th, 2010
Culture, Design, First Impressions, Marketing, Print, Process, Tips-n-Tools


 

 
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Once or three times a year, typefaces make it into the headlines.

sample of papyrus typefacePrompted by an outcry over the use of Papyrus for the subtitles in the movie AVATAR, this article from last week’s BBC News Magazine online relates the passions—pro and con—that were provoked. Various other heinous examples of crimes against typography are included.


In 2009, the Swedish retail giant IKEA changed its signature typeface from Futura to Verdana—a font that had been created by Microsoft specifically for screen display.



As in other cases, widespread outrage ensued, with bloggers and tweeters madly weighing in:

“On Aug. 26, Romanian design consultant Marius Ursache started an online petition to get Ikea to change its mind. That night, Verdana was already a trending topic on Twitter, drawing more tweets than even Ted Kennedy.”

 

It must be noted that some opinionators were more sympathetic.


While typography has a rich history that goes back to the earliest written forms, new typefaces are always arriving on the market, making it tempting for designers to stray from the classic choices. And, sometimes, with good reason. Depending on the target audience and the branding message, it may be perfectly reasonable to select one of the very latest typefaces, especially if it can be effective across a wide variety of corporate needs—website, business cards, magazine and billboard advertising, price tags, serial number labels, Hi My Name Is badges, exterior and interior signage … the list goes on.


I found some great Best and Worst lists. Here’s one that I particularly like because it includes my favorite two Worst examples—#2 and #3, where companies invested in a logo redesign when what they really needed was an overhaul in corporate practices.

Blackwater name change and logo redesign




If your scroll wheel (or your two-finger touchpad action) is in good shape and you have an extra half hour, check out these collections from Smashing Magazine, an online resource for web design.


I saved the best for last, but this one isn’t strictly typography. If you have read this far, you may be interested in two visually engaging articles on Writing Systems And Calligraphy Of The World. Part 1 is here, and part 2 is here. My bet is, you’ve never seen such an array of writing samples from so many historical language roots and from virtually every corner of the world.



Calligraphy from illuminated Armenian Gospel manuscript

Calligraphy from illuminated Armenian Gospel manuscript




(Bonus points if you noticed which typeface I used in the numbers in my thumbnail illustration at the top.)

Lainie Turner

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Reader comments (1)

 

Sweet post! its amazing the work that goes into font selection. I am afraid of the links you posted, cause they seem like awesome links that will suck up my time :)


Ron | July 26, 2010
 


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