The strategy in the type connection game that worked the best for me was the second option, seek the similar. My entire life, I have always found that I group various things into categories based on how they look, placing the similar objects in the same categories. Honestly, this was the first strategy I even tried because I knew that this was going to be the one that I found to be the easiest. I don’t find myself very interested in the history of the word, so I found the strategies such as “rely on family” and “explore the past” to be more difficult. I was not reading the bottom description of the font before I chose it, so how was I supposed to pick the “date” type without knowing anything about the first type besides how it looks? I have always found that I rush past instructions, and this is merely another example. Now, going back and trying the other techniques, I realize that I learn a lot more about both types specifically by reading their descriptions, but I don’t feel as though I have the same feeling for the type. I believe that when I’m just looking for the similar type, I can feel which type would be best based on its forms instead of having to read its background or history. I learned the cultural influences of the types and how they reflected the cultural thinking of the time they were created and most used. I learned about the extremely slight differences between different fonts and what makes two fonts compatible or not compatible. I now know how fonts can evolve from a variety of situations, such as evolving out of a previous font or taking on an entirely new form. Univers is the typeface that I found the most interesting from my interaction with the game. I like how easily readable univers is and I like that univers is also neutral to other languages besides english.
Chapter two discusses the anatomy of type and its evolution over many centuries. Chapter two begins by defining several terms that are parts of letterforms (apex, arm, spine, etc). This vocabulary allows designers to really analyze text deeply or compare and contrast two existing typefaces. There were several terms that were included in the textbook that I had never heard or seen before. Take the term, fillet, for example. A filet is defined by our book as “the contoured edge that connects the serif and stem in bracketed serifs. I didn’t even know there was a term for that! I had recognized, through my years of drawing fonts on pictures, that some serifed fonts do have small curved parts that connect the main stroke of the letter and the serif. I never knew if it was intended or if it even had a name, but now that is an interesting fact that I could throw around at parties. The fundamental element of a letterform is the linear stroke. The marking properties of the brush, the reed pen and the engraver’s chisel influenced the form of the early alphabet. The transition from crude marks to letterforms with clarity and understanding is but a matter of design. Over the centuries, different designers have had but one goal in common: to create a type that is better than or improves the already existing system. The unity of design in type font is something that surprised me in this chapter. I have grown up with type as a vital part of my everyday life, but for some reason, maybe because it was so blatantly in front of my nose, I chose to not give it close enough attention. I was surprised to see how many letters really do share a similar form with slight variations in the whole letter. The optical relationships in font is also new information to me. Certain pointed and curved letters have less weight at the top, so they appear shorter than the rest of the letters. In order for their to be unity when looking at the text, certain parts of these letters extend above or below the capline or baseline.
Segeo Print
I chose this typeface for the sans-serif option because I liked how different it was from the “everyday font.” Although this is definitely not a font I would use to turn in any sort of essay, I still really enjoy the form of it. It reminds me of something handwritten, something easy, something that flows.
If I were to compare this font to a musician, I would say that it resembles the sounds of Jack Johnson. Jack Johnson is known for being a surfer’s musician, with his laid back vibes and chilled sounds. The fluidity of this font is what lead me to connect this to Jack Johnson. I feel as though this type is moving and I can see the rhythm it takes, a slow and steady, chilled, vibe.
An additional reason I chose this font is because it somewhat reminded me of myself and my style and personality. I believe that I am a fluid, easy and laid back person. You can tell by the way I dress in jeans and a t-shirt almost everyday. Simplicity is what is key here in this font and one of the characteristics that I hold most dear about myself. Simple really is best in my opinion.
To compare this font to a bicycle, I would say that it reminds me of beach cruiser. This whole font reminds me of a beach and the vibe that exists in a beach town. A beach cruiser is probably the easiest ride you could ever have, and this font makes me feel as though I am along for this chilled out ride.
Lucida Fax
Lucida is your average everyday type of serifed font. This font reminds me of the brown line because I feel as though it has an older feel to it. I wouldn’t say that this typeface is so old that I would call it old style, but it does have an older feel to it than say helvetica. I feel as though this is a type that would be used in philosophy books, or academic books.
If I were to compare this typeface to music, I would say it most resembles the sounds of classical music, with its drastic changes in line-width symbolizing the drastic changes in intensity of sound. This font, when compared to cars, reminds me of those box shaped cars that I have only seen driving around recently. Although these cars are a relatively new invention, their box like form reminds me of the hard edges of the serifs and the squares that make up the dots of the lowercase i and j.
This typeface was only recently released in 1992. I definitely thought that this typeface was going to be older because of the look of it. But I can see that there are slight differences in this type than in ones of older generations. The hard transition from stem or stroke to serif is a characteristic that is more modern. Also, the drastic width changes throughout the letters seems more modern, challenging the designs that came beforehand.
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