Type Love

I love typography. It is such a great, simple way to set a tone for your design. A professor I had for class a few semesters ago put it best: When thinking about or choosing type, open your eyes and listen. He described type as the voice of a design and encouraged us to think about how the typeface would sound if it had a voice. It may sound silly to you, but I think that is such a great way to view choosing a typeface. While functionality, readability, etc. are all important things to consider when picking a typeface, the character, or voice, of the type can be just as important.

In talking with a few colleagues about design, I've found that choosing a typeface is difficult and frustrating for some. I agree. As with anything in design, there can be so many variations that it is hard to find that one that fits just right. So, when I found a post on Publication Design claiming to have a list of 60 good fonts for just about everything, I was definitely interested. It never hurts to have a good list of fonts you know work. Publication Design's post links to the list, which was published by Smashing Magazine. There are some really great typefaces included in this list. Although it is titled "60 brilliant typefaces for corporate design" I there are a lot of versatile fonts on this list that can be used in feature or cover design.

Here are five of my favorites.

1. I love the serifs on this typeface, especially in the first weight shown. It just seems to have a lot of character.











2. Candy Script is just fun. It makes me think of an old soda shop or ice cream place. And now I feel like having a burger and a giant chocolate shake.




3. Ealing is just gorgeous, particularly in the lighter weights. I've been really drawn to this thinner typefaces recently. This one is very clean and orderly looking as well as sleek, which I really like.



4. Here's one with a ton of character. I like the rough, handwritten quality of it. There are a lot of standard handwriting fonts that I don't care for, so it is nice to see one that actually works. This one looks a little historical as well, especially in the first line of the example. I feel like it belongs on old, yellowing paper.






5. Here's another really nice scripted typeface. I don't really have a good reason for liking it; I just thinks it's fun. Also, it seems as if it would be a useable scripted font that doesn't look like it came from a wedding invitation.

There was also a link to My Fonts, a website I'm not very familiar with. From an initial scan, it looks like there is a lot of good content there. And a lot of pretty type pictures. Who doesn't love looking at those? Even better, you can register and gain access to free font downloads. Here is the link to one featured on the 60 Best list (three of the weights are free). Enjoy!

Finally, one last thing to convince you that typefaces really do have great personalities.