This article was taken from the February 2013 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by <span class="s1">subscribing online.
You've just about learned that Comic Sans isn't appropriate for company-wide memos, even if you were "being ironic". But how do you differentiate between more sober and classy typefaces? Or commission one yourself? Jonathan Hoefler, president of New York-based foundry Typography, explains.
Don't commission Hoefler says: "You should consider not commissioning one.
A good typeface is time-consuming to create; there has to be a compelling reason to create one." Browse professionally designed off-the-peg fonts first. Choose a typeface that is well spaced and suits your function: display for a headline; body text for the details.
Be clear about what you want A font will fall somewhere between totally expressive (a logo) and totally functional (instructions on pills). "Commissions that want to be 'quirky' or 'elegant', or some generic adjective, are hard," says Hoefler. "'A typeface that evokes the Old West at the dawn of the steam locomotive era' would be easier -- it's much more explicit."
Ignore the WOW factor "A common rookie mistake is to take a typeface that is emotionally stimulating but doesn't function," says Hoefler. Even if you're trying to impress, being informational is more important than being flashy. And don't ask the font to do all the work: "It's like giving cloth to a dressmaker -- it's the dressmaker's challenge to be tasteful."
Create tension Juxtapose typefaces as Hoefler suggests: "I most like to see book covers or movie titles or websites in which somebody has found a typeface that seems so at odds in terms of their character and functionality, that they create a tension between them," he says. "The tension between old and new is a very popular one."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
