Fun with Fonts

Yes, they are everywhere, but really, do fonts get the credit that they deserve? Well, no, probably not. At least the NYT is on top of the ball on this one. "Fonts are like the air: you don't notice them when they are fine, only when they are mucked up or obscure." But then, of course, they don't make any attempt to tell the reader what might make a font "mucked up" or "obscure." I guess that if you read the Times, you would know a quality font when you saw it. The article then meanders its way through a couple more little tidbits before mercifully ending. Of course, if the article was anything more than a number of tangentially related musings, some critical thought could actually be applied to the vast underworld of fonts and typography.

If you want to learn more you can try this book out for starters.

PS-The best part of the article is right at the end, when the author refers to a typeface as a "piece of graffito." That's right, she went to her dictionary to find out what the singular form of graffiti is. I applaud you, New York Times, for all of your elitist touches. The use of words like "graffito" is why the circulation numbers of the USA Today, aka the more dumbed-down paper in the world, spanks you every morning.