by Rick Blechta
In case you didn’t know, I’m an admitted typography junky. I’m referring to those glyphs you’re looking at right now, meaning each letter of this sentence. And that’s where one part of the problem is. Type junkies tend to speak their own, specialized language. I also own over 6000 different typefaces.
This post came about from Sybil’s very interesting post of last Wednesday. In it she talks about a font, Sans Forgetica, specifically designed to help with memory retention. I don’t know whether it works, but it is an interesting idea, the kernel of which is that if something is slightly more difficult to read, you’ll remember it better. Forgetica is another wordplay on the names given to type families (Helvetica anyone?) coupled with the word “forget”. So the complete name means basically “without forgetting”.
Just before we leave this new idea in typography, I actually laughed out loud when I saw the name of the font. It’s a typographical play on words. First of all, “sans” refers to one class of fonts but it’s usually accompanied by “serif”. Put together, sans serif means “without serifs”.
Here we go again, another phrase only typographic junkies are interested in. Most of you probably have no idea what a serif is and why not having serifs is An Important Thing. Here’s a quick read to help you understand (assuming you’re still with me). You only need to read the first part of the article — otherwise you risk becoming a typographic junkie too. You have been warned!
Serif fonts are primarily used for what is called “running type”. Why? Because it’s the least exhausting to read for long periods. And Sybil, I guess this is the reason you’re not retaining as much as you’d like. Where do you see the greatest use of serif fonts? In books, of course.
Sans serif font families were designed primarily for display typesetting. You’ll see it most often used in headlines, section headers and the like. In our computer age, it’s come into its own because it displays better on computer screens. You’re reading a sans serif font (Arial) right now.
Now here’s the kicker, some of the most famous and still-used font families are hundreds of years old and the genesis of serif fonts goes all the way back to the Romans. Ever use Garamond? It was designed back in the 16th Century by Claude Garamond. And there are lots of others of this vintage still in use.
Good, readable typefaces tend to have long lives. They were designed very carefully with specific goals in mind. Even the ubiquitous Times font is nearing 100 years old.
I’m going to stop myself now because I could go on for pages and pages. See? Typography junky…
Sybil's post was interesting, and I commented on John Dunning's Bookman's Wake, which gave me an appreciation for the artistry, and complexity, of fonts.
ReplyDeleteI know a tiny bit about fonts. Not nearly as much of you. But enough to laugh at the name Sans Forgetica when I saw it.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I do like the idea that my inability to remember as much as I want of what I read is not all my fault! And that was a convoluted sentence, wasn't it?
ReplyDeleteThanks Liz and Sybil for the comments. I was a graphic designer for a number of years so I had to acquire a decent grasp of typography, but I grew up in my dad's photo engraving business and learned an appreciation of what it is and what it can do. "Good typography is invisible," I remember him saying and that's very true.
ReplyDeleteBut I've also found this: the more you know about typography, the more bad typography bothers you. And believe me, there's a lot of it out there!
I love Garamond! Rich in tradition, and still eminently readable.
ReplyDeleteAnna, there is such an abundance of great old fonts. Garamond is among my favourites, but you should also check out Caslon (my particular favourite), Janson, Cheltenham, and of the modern ones Sabon (great for typesetting books), Friz Quadrata and Trajan for display typesetting (very elegant).
ReplyDeleteBut I use(d) Garamond a lot in my professional design work.
Thanks for the comment!