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My wife forwarded me a link recently about a new film called Helvetica, which, as you might have guessed, is all about the well-known font—a font, it turns out, that is celebrating its 50th birthday this year. For a word-freak like me, this certainly sounds like a MUST-SEE documentary, one I might even buy on DVD later. It got me thinking about good old Helvetica, and how it’s always been one of my favs. Others include Palatino and Gill Sans and even the original Courier (the new one is just a little too, I don’t know, ersatz for my taste. Kinda like the difference between a nice kosher frankfurter and NotDogs.)
It also got me wondering what other peoples’ favorite fonts are. Who among you really uses those crazy, curly affronts MS WORD serves up in the fonts dropdown menu? Monotype Corsiva? Kristen ITC? Ravie? I mean honestly. If you’ve got a favorite and want to tell us why, don’t be shy… it’s the interactive part of the Wrap, folks.
Meanwhile, after the jump, read a little send-up on the “About this Font” page you often find at the back of books. I always find them not only educational but often hilarious. So I wrote this satire and published in the back of my novel, Behind Everyman.
ABOUT THE TYPE
This book was set in a digital version of Monotype Cution. The original typeface was created by Ella Cution (1845-1910). Before becoming a punch cutter with her own chain of type foundries in cities as diverse as Constantinople and Istanbul, she was apprenticed to a midwife where she is said to have spent the better part of her days waiting for the invention of the disposable diaper.
It was there, working in midwifery, that Cution invented her first typeface: C Section. The following month, with borrowed money from her father, she opened her first type foundry. Despite ongoing problems from various labor factions (Active and Transition labor lobbied for shorter hours, while Induced labor fought for higher wages) she opened a dozen more within five years.
Sadly, after Ella Cution’s passing, her franchise of type foundries was taken over by her daughter, Elektra Cution, and quickly flipped for the more lucrative Blimpie’s chain, popular with many lunch and dinner patrons on the go.
Comments (53)
Comment
I’ve always been a big fan of Tahoma. I work as a surtitlist (I translate opera librettos and put them up on that screen above the stage,) and when I started, all the titles were in Times New Roman. I was tired of always squinting to read what was going on, so I decided to use Tahoma, which is readable even by the little blue-haired lady in the last row. Little did I know that the stage manager was scandalized. Ah well, I still use Tahoma, and people are grateful for its readability. I do use crazy fonts for the titles of the music. We just did Bach’s Coffee Cantata, and the font I used had each letter on its own Starbuck’s looking coffee-cup.
posted by megaera on 5-4-2007 at 12:37 am
I like Trebuchet and Eurostile, and I’m quite fond of Verdana, too. My favourite fixed width font is Monaco. There are a couple of fonts I absolutely hate, mainly because they’re so overused (or just plain ugly): Sand, Chalkboard, Mistral, Matura, and, worst of the lot, Comic Sans!
posted by -@^@- on 5-4-2007 at 12:44 am
Sorry, mate: I actually like Courier New, amd use it regularly. Must be from my typewriter days…
posted by Thursday on 5-4-2007 at 1:00 am
i really like Berlin Sans FB. it was the default font for my office email program (Lotus Notes) [we’ve since moved on to MS Outlook]
i also like Arial pt 8 but never 10; Verdana pt 8 and 10; and oh, Tempus Sans.
i can’t stand Comic Sans MS. urgh.
posted by sillellis on 5-4-2007 at 2:03 am
I love Book Antiqua. I don’t really know why… It makes me feel like the thing I’m writing is already great.
posted by TAE on 5-4-2007 at 2:26 am
I do like Monotype Corsiva…I just never get a chance to use it. On regular documents, I’m strictly an Arial gal. Get it from my father, who taught me to despise Times New Roman with a passion.
posted by Rosalie on 5-4-2007 at 4:58 am
Garamond. I find it is one of the cleanest, easiest to read of the sans fonts. It feels like a modern Times New Roman in some respects. There is just something smooth and a bit sexy about Garamond.
posted by Roy on 5-4-2007 at 5:01 am
I’m a big fan of Garamond and Century Gothic, which are very different from each other. Don’t know why, they just make me happy.
posted by Julianna on 5-4-2007 at 5:42 am
I’ll cast my vote for Garamond. I guess it makes me feel like I’m breaking away from the norm (Times New Roman) without being too radical.
posted by Bill T. on 5-4-2007 at 5:51 am
I enjoy Georgia [and fondly pronounce it with an accent], although it might not be good for a long paper. Too fiddly.
posted by Aemi on 5-4-2007 at 5:56 am
Bookman Old Style…on size 12.
posted by Rexmons on 5-4-2007 at 6:16 am
i waver between bell mt and cochin. and i usually write in size ten–until i have to turn in a paper, in which case it’s back to times new roman 12. I really prefer bell mt, but some processors don’t display it correctly, and it ends up looking like a cross between garamond and courier new, which drives me nuts.
is that too specific? i might be a little crazy, but i’m SO particular about fonts.
posted by kay on 5-4-2007 at 6:31 am
I have an unhealthy liking for Marker Felt. Thin and Thick. Very versatile. I think at one point Chili’s was using it for their entire drink/desserts menu.
Is it weird that I identify fonts on other printed materials and TV ads?
posted by Jaclyn on 5-4-2007 at 6:46 am
I agree, Century Gothic for the win…and if I’m feeling saucey, Courier New. Of the serifs fonts, I prefer the slab serif fonts but generally I’m more drawn to sans serif fonts.
I had a co-worker who only wrote in comic sans, drove me crazy, too goofy looking.
posted by SuperEmi on 5-4-2007 at 6:51 am
For my past two stories I used Abadi MT Condensed Extra Bold, but my dad told me he couldn’t read it. For my two next stories, I used TNR twelve point. For the current story I’m writing, I’m using Book Antiqua 12-point. lurve.
For my latest STUPID powerpoint I used Bookman Old Style.
For Chapter Headings I like Harrington.
For everything else that’s stupid and unneccesary, I use MISTRAL!!! :D
posted by kiki on 5-4-2007 at 6:55 am
@post 10- me too! whenever I see zapfino or mistral on a sign, i go, “oh look! zapfino/mistral!” and my brother stares at me.
posted by kiki on 5-4-2007 at 6:58 am
Another vote for Arial.
posted by KJ on 5-4-2007 at 7:02 am
Tahoma all the way — unless Times New Roman, yeah boring. But I’m an old newspaperman…… boring all the way. LOL.
posted by WizardBoy on 5-4-2007 at 7:05 am
Being a graphic designer, I am constantly obsessing over fonts. News Gothic has always been a favorite, along with Garamond for a serif. Can’t go wrong with Caslon though.
I’m off to see the screening of Helvetica tonight in Columbus. I can’t wait!
posted by cp on 5-4-2007 at 7:12 am
I like Papyrus the most. It’s what I usually used for powerpoint presentations or for covers or picture captions. It’s normal enough to read without difficulty but has that different look to it, not to mention wide and tall enough to take up space when needed.
I kind of realized that the Papyrus font is a bit “emo” though because from afar it looks normal and whole but if you look at it closely (or use a big enough size) you see all the little “tears” in the letter.
posted by razi on 5-4-2007 at 7:21 am
Tahoma, Garamond, Arial & Georgia for readability. Dislike Times Roman and Courier.
I can browse the websites offering free fonts for hours collecting what I think may come in useful one day.
I use them mostly when designing CD covers trying to match the font to the music/event and the rest of the layout.
Wasn’t it Paul Outerbridge jr. who almost trashed a whole edition of one of his books because the title was placed 1/16th inch too low7high?
posted by Scriveyn on 5-4-2007 at 7:22 am
c’mon now, I can’t be the only one who has a secret fondness for the Roman characters in Chinese fonts! Ming Liu and Sim Sun are my favorites… although when I’m in the mood for a sans-serif, Sim Hei is always nice.
As a graphic designer, they’re classic but a little exotic… and whenever they don’t work, there’s always HAND STYLES! (The old graffitti penmanship ain’t left me yet!)
posted by alexandra supertramp! on 5-4-2007 at 7:27 am
I have to say that I’m a fan of Palatino Linotype. It’s very similar to Times New Roman but a little fresher. Very nice and crisp!
posted by Seth on 5-4-2007 at 7:59 am
Racetrac or any good san serif.
posted by archie on 5-4-2007 at 7:59 am
Garamond all the way!
posted by priscilla on 5-4-2007 at 8:06 am
I prefer Verdana on the web, TNR for business documents, and Arial for everything else. When I’m feeling fancy, I use Vivaldi or Lucinda Cursive.
posted by Cathy on 5-4-2007 at 8:22 am
2 words: comic sans
posted by mike czuk on 5-4-2007 at 8:29 am
I love Futura for most everything. I settle for Verdana on the interweb.
posted by Joy on 5-4-2007 at 8:49 am
Favorite so far - Apple Butter. I use it with the sparing and reverent mind set one would have for an expensive, high-calorie dessert.
There seems to be a buzz about Garamond. I like Celtic Garamond as well.
The ones that would have looked cool in the late 70s never dissappoint: Jackie, Cooper Black (I know a person named Cooper Black), and Sydnie are easy to read and funky.
Although I’ve never used it, when I run across Trebuchet on the font list, I hear part of “Cream” by Prince where he is saying “sha boogie” or something, only it comes out “tre boo shay, tr, tr, tre boo shay bop!” It definitely adds to my quality of life.
posted by elizabutt on 5-4-2007 at 10:13 am
Baskerville has my vote. It’s nicely readable and just a little elegant.
posted by Lex on 5-4-2007 at 10:41 am
Bauhaus, specifically bauhaus heavy. Have used it as my system/windows font for all my macs since I discovered it in 1993. I love its little fat curves.
posted by Lord Humungus on 5-4-2007 at 10:56 am
Lucida Sans Unicode.
posted by conan on 5-4-2007 at 11:09 am
First of all, every time I hear the word “font”, I hear my old graphic design professors correcting us with “Typeface!”
Second, we use Arial for everything at work so now that’s what looks “right” to me, but I also like Garamond and Gill Sans
Third, Comic Sans should be banned. I feel that strongly abuot it.
posted by Sara on 5-4-2007 at 11:11 am
Garamond is my favorite, but I also like Trebuchet and Myriad. I hate, hate, hate Times New Roman and Comic Sans, and I get so bored seeing Arial all the time.
posted by Leah on 5-4-2007 at 11:44 am
The real problem is what to do when you’re reading a book, you notice the font (which is a ridiculous thing to do), but you have no idea what it is. This happens to me every time I read one of Raymond Chandler’s books published by Vintage Crime. If only every book told me what font it used…
posted by Drew on 5-4-2007 at 12:31 pm
I used to always use Century Gothic. My new fave is Afga Rotis Semisans, but not that many people have it…Arial Narrow is super close to it.
posted by Stephanie on 5-4-2007 at 1:44 pm
I like Comic Sans MS in size 8 (the smaller the better!); and Verdana size 8. Even though everyone always asks me to make it bigger because they can’t see it.
posted by Tara on 5-4-2007 at 3:16 pm
Wow, a lot of sans serif fans out there. I prefer Gill Sans or Futura for the sans serifs myself, and I’m definitely a Times New Roman kind of gal. My favorite script to use is Dear Joe or Wiesbaden Swing!
posted by Bridget on 5-4-2007 at 4:25 pm
No offense to razi, but I cannot stand Papyrus. Well, I take that back; on a computer screen, as someone’s personal font, it’s fine–but I have spotted it countless times on signs for small businesses around town.
To me, it screams–we want to have a funky font but didn’t want to look any farther than Word!
I feel kinda bad for it but it just seems so unprofessional.
But me, I dig Book Antiqua and Sans Serif. Arial is boring. And Times New Roman is beautiful, but only when sized at ten.
posted by Courtney on 5-4-2007 at 5:31 pm
I love serif fonts, particularly Garamond. I’m not particularly fond of sans serif, but if I had to choose, I’d like Century Gothic.
My favorite script font is Zephyr Script. It’s rarely used, because people must go all the way to “Z” to find it.
posted by Alison Humphreys on 5-4-2007 at 5:50 pm
I used to use one called Alleycat, and I always loved it. Unfortunately, I can’t find it on Word anymore, and I’m too lazy to look elsewhere.
posted by Pointy-Hatted Geek on 5-4-2007 at 5:56 pm
Copperplate as far as serifed or Agency FB for san-serif
posted by Rob on 5-4-2007 at 6:11 pm
im the youngest in my family, so for the longest time i had a windows 3.1 dos (i think thats it) anyway, my favorite font is:
Librian
,but when i finally got a new comp., i havn’t been able to find it… so sad, i liked it so much to
posted by ashley on 5-4-2007 at 7:51 pm
I’ve always liked Arial Black and Century Gothic together. I made a logo with them once, and then I started seeing that combination in a lot of closing titles at movies.
Copperplate Gothic Light is my favorite for headings, as it lends such a classy air.
For sans-serifs, Star Jedi and Red5 have always been fun to use (and see how many people can guess that they copy the Star Wars font - oddly enough, it’s often not very many).
By far, my favorite cursive font is Rage Italic. It keeps coming in handy on all sorts of projects, and it makes a great digital signature, too.
Except for academic work, I tend to stay away from the serif fonts… I suppose they seem too old-fashioned on screen.
I had a teacher that required Garamond on everything we turned in, and since I’d do most of my composition in the Word-default TNR (which is a larger typeface) and see sometimes up to a half-page of my paper seem to disappear, I never have liked it much. Oddly enough, some of my professors at college are now requiring Arial instead of the typical TNR, so I may start disliking it too.
Jaclyn (#13): Thank you. I am rather relieved to find that I am not the only one who looks at fonts and knows their names, or wonders where to get that cool font just shown.
posted by sfs on 5-5-2007 at 2:31 am
Zapfino, it’s the most artistic font you can find. I’m using it in a tattoo design I’ve been working on.
posted by Holly on 5-5-2007 at 6:01 pm
This discussion has got me thinking: what is the typeface used in the Mental Floss blog?
posted by Christine on 5-5-2007 at 8:28 pm
My go-to font for everything from ad copy to personal letters is Garamond. Sometimes it’s plain Garamond, sometimes it’s Adobe Garamond Pro, and sometimes it’s the free version Baramond. Depends on my mood :) This font is tough to overuse at this point, considering that it was spelling things out forever even before computers came on the scene.
My award for The Worlds Greatest Sans-serif Font goes to House Industries’s Neutraface. At $249 it ain’t cheap, but you get so many variations and it looks soooooo good! A lot of people don’t realize the value in having an entire font family at your fingertips, but it’s great when a font gives you enough variations to use multiple times in a piece without getting too blah. I use it in Demi SC for headlines, and in its lighter variants if I want some hip copy.
Other great fonts that find their way into my life on occasion: Gill Sans, Franklin Gothic, and a whole pile of others :)
posted by Morse on 5-6-2007 at 7:14 am
I Have recently discoverd the magic of Futura and Cochin. But I am a sucker for american typwriter prefferably condensed. But the old typwrighter feel makes you feel like your really getting somthing done, and it makes you want to go get a nice green visor aka you feel special important and like you are doing somthing worthwhile.
posted by Lily on 5-6-2007 at 12:05 pm
I’m too scared to use anything other than Times New Roman since my professors and teachers have demanded I use Times New Roman on 12 point font.
When I’m feeling rebellious I also use Garamond. Sticking it to the man, one font at a time.
posted by ajadoniz on 5-6-2007 at 3:11 pm
I love Optima. It’s so sharp. Sometimes I like georgia or the standard Times New Roman. But optima is love.
posted by Ashley on 5-6-2007 at 6:02 pm
Trebuchet all the way! I mean, just look at the g’s in that font! They’re so — statuesque! I just feel happy all over when I typeset for the web in Trebuchet with the linespacing at about 95% and the point size at around 12. -sighh-
posted by Brett on 5-6-2007 at 7:15 pm
I use a bunch from all over the map: Gill Sans, Rockwell, Trebuchet, Tw Cent, Franklin Gothic, Frutiger 55 Roman. I’m partial to AdLib, Jokerman and other 60’s-Modish ones for flyers, announcements, Cd labels and such.
I would be very happy to never see Curlz again.
The font I crave for everyday but haven’t yet splurged for: Mrs Eaves by Emigre
posted by Jonathan on 5-10-2007 at 2:19 pm
Okay, I’ll be the one to admit I use all those crazy fonts, Comic Sans MS, Apple Butter, Bradley Hand ITC… But in my defense, I’m an elementary school teacher and my kids like those fonts. Although sometimes when THEY are typing things they will choose fonts that make their already grammatically horrendous work that much harder to read. If I’m typing something for adults, I usually stick with Arial for the clean lines and ease with which it can be read.
posted by Sara on 5-13-2007 at 10:48 am