Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Type Anatomy - Allison Nolden




Avenir Next Ultra Light: I chose Avenir Next Ultra Light as my sans-serif typeface because I enjoy the simplicity and clarity of it and also the variety of widths. Adrian Frutiger designed Avenir Next. Avenir was first released in 1988 as a typeface family with 24 fonts: six weights in both roman and italic and two widths, normal and condensed. Two more font weights, light and thin, were added later. In 2004 Avenir was reworked by Frutiger and type designer Akira Kobayashi to create Avenir Next. Avenir is a useful design because of its structure being more humane and legible. Avenir Next is very geometrical. The lowercase “p” and “q” are almost identical, along with the “b” and the “d.” The lowercase “a” is a very recognizable letter of the typeface as the bowl is not a perfect circle like the rest of the letters. This typeface reminds me of things designed for children. If I were to connect it to a style of music I would probably pick something playful, or childlike. Having done some research, Avenir is used at the Walt Disney World Resort as it’s main typeface on signs, printed materials, and on the website.

Baskerville Old Face: I chose Baskerville Old Face as my serif typeface because I find it to be a modern take on a traditional font. John Baskerville designed it in 1757. Baskerville was made to have sharper serifs, more contrast between thick and thin strokes, and more circular shapes. These characteristics make the typeface unique and able to be enlarged. I connect this typeface with older women, rather than children. I think it looks very elegant and neat. The uppercase “Q” gives the typeface a fancy feeling. If I were to connect Baskerville to a bike I would pick an old fashioned cruiser.

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