This is Helvetica
Note: Before you start complaining about how you’re not reading Helvetica and Times New Roman, I am referring to the type I am writing in NOT the font you are reading, unfortunately. You can thank WordPress for their font changing ways.
Yeah, I’m back. Now let’s talk typefaces. What is a typeface? Typeface is synonymous with font. Every printed word you see has a typeface. For example, I am currently typing in Times New Roman. Typefaces are everywhere and they do much more than allow you to read a word. Typefaces carry their own mood and convey their own ideas. Take Helvetica for example. Helvetica is honored for it’s simplicity and readability. Its neutrality allows it to conform to use for almost any purpose. It is the most common typeface, seen everywhere from subway station signs to the window supplies of high end boutiques. On the other hand Times New Roman is a very classic font. Great for formal documents but terrible for titles and posters. But I’m straying from my point. The purpose of my blog today is to explain what role typefaces have in communicating their message.
The first role a typeface has is communicating the message in words. This is called readability, or how easy it is to read. Take an example from the film Helvetica. If you have a short message that you need to get across as quickly as possible, you want to use a font that’s highly legible. This is why simple fonts like Helvetica are used for signage in the public transportation system, people need to read and react to signs like “Watch Your Step” as quickly as possible and don’t need to waste their time or brain power to decipher a more complicated font. Store fronts also take advantage of Helvetica’s readability to quickly communicate information about their store in the hopes of catching the attention of a passerby. However, a more complex message screams for a more complex font. The more complex the font, the more time people will spend reading and thinking about your message. It forces them to slow down and absorb the information.
The next role of a typeface is to set the mood of the page it is on. As discussed in the article Typeface Inspired by Comic Books Has Become a Font of Ill Will by Emily Steel, a typeface must be appropriate for the information it is presenting. The example used here is Comic Sans. Comic Sans could be appropriate for use in a product targeted at children. However, Comic Sans is not appropriate for formal documents. “It can be analogous to showing up for a black-tie event in a clown costume.” A designer in Helvetica comments on the use of the font in a Coca Cola ad saying “It’s plain and simple. The message is clear. Drink coke period. End of story.”
The final role of a typeface is to illustrate the message it is trying to convey. A typeface can do this using its appearance or its placement in a space. For example if I wanted to have a typeface that said fast I would angle the lettering and have lines coming of the back of the test to give the sense of motion. I would also use a simple font that’s quick to read. If I were designing the cover of a heavy metal CD I would use a grungy, hard to read, satanic looking font because who understands what they’re saying anyway. If I were designing the title of a story about a person who overcame struggles to make a better life, I might design the title so that it forms a stair step shape to allude to the steps the person took to move forward and up.
My last remarks about this topic are here to address the sentiments expressed in both Helvetica and Typeface Inspired by Comic Books Has Become a Font of Ill that certain fonts should be banned or dissuaded from use. If a font is popular, it will remain so whether or not it looks good. To quote the article, “You can’t regulate bad taste.” If a font is being used it’s because somebody somewhere thought it looked good and did its job. As long as these fonts continue to satisfy the wants of the user they will be used. In the mean time, we can all hope for a future filled with people with a better taste for design.
