Wednesday 23 January 2013

What Type?

http://junichirokoyama.com/blog/?p=63

The aim: to choose 2 typefaces from a given list of ten and to produce 2 A3 posters, one for each typeface, incorporating a typographic image/illustration made from the typeface itself, (but not a face!) and a full body of text using upper case and lower case letters, numerals and, if you wish, punctuation.
As always, I am finding the hardest part is making a decision and getting started! 'Just choose whichever one jumps out at you' they say. 'Well I like them all!' I cry! Which is weird, 'cause they're just a bunch of letters, they all look the same don't they? Well, no, actually. The more I look at them, the more I see their indivividual personalities and characteristics.
I like slab serif Lubalin graph, but I also like sans serifs Univers and Futura, Mrs Eaves is very nice, and the calligraphic Zapfino lends itself beautifully to a typographic illustration! Oh what to do?
I suppose that narrows it down to five.
This calls for a scientific elimination. What better way to choose a typeface than by how cool the name of the person that designed it is?
Lubalin Graph, designed by Herb Lubalin, Zapfino by Hermann Zapf, Mrs Eaves by the lovely Zuzana Licko, Futura by Paul Renner and Univers, Adrian Frutiger. In my mind that narrows it down to the former three.
Now, of those, which two are in strongest contrast to each other? Well that would have to be Lubalin Graph and Zapfino! Pow! Sorry Mrs Eaves, it's nothing personal, I just don't dig ya that way!