Tuesday, April 04, 2006
AIGA: Typophiles, the reality and the fiction.
AIGA
This week on You Can't Miss, I am doing a theme post on typography. Lets start with AIGA. The post this week is about how typography is hard to translate into general culture, and the author relates the field to biochemistry or engineering in its inability to explain itself without incorporating hundreds of terms the average person doesn't know. I completely agreed with the post, mostly because I feel so dumb sometimes when I try to talk about fonts. I can usually tell, based on instinct, if a font will or will not work with my design, but how would I explain myself in writing?
What makes a font usable? The article quotes French type designer Jean-François Porchez, who says "The only criterion I rely on is simple: a good typeface fits the need of the subject." But as the blog points out, does this mean for each subject you must create a specific typeface to match it? Of course not.
I always wondered how one gets into the typography business. Our beloved TA Debbie said she thinks you have to be born in the 16th century to understand it, and with that odd citation, I will move on to the next article...
This week on You Can't Miss, I am doing a theme post on typography. Lets start with AIGA. The post this week is about how typography is hard to translate into general culture, and the author relates the field to biochemistry or engineering in its inability to explain itself without incorporating hundreds of terms the average person doesn't know. I completely agreed with the post, mostly because I feel so dumb sometimes when I try to talk about fonts. I can usually tell, based on instinct, if a font will or will not work with my design, but how would I explain myself in writing?
What makes a font usable? The article quotes French type designer Jean-François Porchez, who says "The only criterion I rely on is simple: a good typeface fits the need of the subject." But as the blog points out, does this mean for each subject you must create a specific typeface to match it? Of course not.
I always wondered how one gets into the typography business. Our beloved TA Debbie said she thinks you have to be born in the 16th century to understand it, and with that odd citation, I will move on to the next article...
