DesignTAXI created a fun quiz which reveals which typeface best describes your personality. Use the following link (scroll down the page and click the blue 'Let's Play' button) to take the short quiz and reveal your answer! 
designtaxi.com/news/394425/Quiz-Which-Classic-Typeface-Best-Represents-Your-Personality/#?utm_campaign=playbuzz&pb_traffic_source=copy&utm_source=copy

Sometimes it's the extreme examples that help us understand a concept. I came across two examples of work spacing this week. The space between words, whether on the same line or between the lines aids us in reading the actual words. When reading, the eyes flow over groups of words together and the brain comprehends their meaning. If something obstructs this flow, readability and comprehension decreases.

In the examples below, too much space causes us to pause and question whether these words are together or not. White space is good, but too much between words can create confusion and distraction. 

​Cathy Vandergeest, RGD

This month every sign in the Toronto Transit Commission's (TTC) Bathurst station was replaced. The new signage pays homage to the nearby Toronto iconic retailer, Honest Eds, which will be closing on December 31, 2016. The decals and directional signs were designed in the immediately recognizable hand painted style of all Honest Eds, complete with matching font, colour scheme and play on words. These fun signs will be in place until the store closes and they are replaced by a smaller, but permanent tribute to the store. Source: ​http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2016/11/bathurst-station-unveils-bittersweet-homage-honest-eds

Who said typography was boring? This fun use of type by Aaron Kuehn proves differently.  
aaronkuehn.com/

Words are a powerful part of our everyday lives. We are constantly reading text--whether it be on a sign, smart phone, computer, tablet, magazine or packaging. Although the content of what we read can have an enormous amount of power, the choice of typeface used can also greatly influence the way people read, understand and feel about the text presented.

A Note About Terminology:
Typeface vs Font
A quick note on terminology. The terms font and typeface are often used interchangeably. Technically, a typeface describes the whole family of characters and how they look (eg: Arial),  where a font is the specific one being used, eg: Arial, 12pt, bold. We use the term typeface here as we are referring to the overall look and feel of the characters being used.

Comic CERN
Last year scientists from CERN presented some very exciting results about the discovery of the Higgs boson particle. The significance of the results was marred by the choice of typeface for the presentation--Comic Sans. Comic Sans is generally considered an informal typeface mimicking comic book text and is widely criticized as being overused. Instead of the world celebrating one of the biggest scientific discoveries of our time, the hot topic was the inappropriate typeface choice. Those reading the report felt the typeface choice distracted from the greatness of the results and made the report look unprofessional.

Truth and consequences
A recent online article in The New York Times compared optimism to pessimism and presented a quiz asking whether readers believed the conclusions of the story. It was later revealed that the article had been presented to various readers in several different typefaces. The article was actually an experiment to determine which typefaces inspired confidence in the results of the research and which ones weakened the credibility of the study. According to 40,000 readers who took the quiz, the typeface Baskerville generated the greatest amount of trust, while Comic Sans caused many to disregard the results and even sparked a sense of contempt in some readers.

Letter grades
Another interesting example of the influence of typefaces is demonstrated by university student Phil Renaud who, over six semesters, submitted over 52 essays for his various classes. 

Upon realizing that his overall grade had risen but the amount of effort remained consistent, he looked back on all of the essays he had written. He found that the only difference was the typeface he had used. The essays using Trebuchet MS received the lowest average grade of B-, which Renaud suspects is because the typeface was harder for professors to read. The essays written in Times New Roman received a slightly better average grade of A-. Renaud noted that most of the essays submitted by his fellow students were also in this typeface, as it is the default on their computers. Lastly, the essays submitted in Georgia received the best overall average grade of A. Renaud theorizes that Georgia is similar enough to Times to maintain an academic feel, while providing a slight visual relief from the norm. He concludes, “You never know just how loudly a font speaks.”

Lorem Ipsum
To do your own demonstration on the influence of a typeface on the overall piece, use several samples of Lorem Ipsum text set in different typefaces in place of your intended text. Lorem Ipsum is text used as a placeholder that has no actual meaning, and allows the viewer to see the overall piece without being distracted by the actual words. Compare the overall look and feel of the samples in order to choose the best typeface for the intended ‘feel’ of your document.

It Does Matter
So yes, the typeface you choose does matter.

When laying out text, always consider which typeface best conveys the message you are trying to deliver. Balancing the ‘feel’ of the typeface with the feel of the message will help determine an appropriate choice.


References:
http://theweek.com/article/index/245632/how-typeface-influences-the-way-we-read-and-think#

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/705/

http://www.mdgadvertising.com/blog/how-typefaces-influence-perception-and-persuasion/

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/08/hear-all-ye-people-hearken-o-earth/?utm_source=slashdot&utm_medium=slashdot&utm_campaign=slashdot&_r=0

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2012/07/comic-sans-at-cern.html

http://designzis.blogspot.ca/2008/09/secret-lives-of-fonts.html

© Cathy Vandergeest, RGD, gawck group inc.  

As a graphic designer, I'm often asked to create or modify text-based designs for clients. Typically text-based documents are meant to be read with ease and contain some sort of hierarchy in the layout. There is more to legibility and emphasis than making type bigger, bolder or in all-caps.

Just like today's text messages, typewriters lacked the ability to emphasize words, leaving the user to resort to using all-caps to make certain important words stand out. However, using caps for an entire message actually decreases legibility. The brain deciphers words based on their overall shape and the shape of the letters, including their acenders and descenders which capital letters lack. 

The sample below is from the National Weather Service in the US. For years their forecasts had been posted in all-caps due to old equipment. Just recently they made the switch to using upper and lower case. It is quickly apparent how much easier the second block of text is to read than the first. 

Resources: www.noaa.gov/national-weather-service-will-stop-using-all-caps-its-forecasts ,  https://www.fonts.com/content/learning/fyti/situational-typography/all-caps

Mathieu Tremblin, an artist known for his creative street art installations, tackled the tagged walls in France with the goal of making graffiti legible.  He first painted over the existing tags, then replicated each based on the scale and colour of the original. http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2016/07/street-artist-paints-over-ugly-graffiti-to-make-it-legible/

Smack in the middle of the Rio 2016 Athlete's Village stands a sign just waiting for the onslaught of international athletes and their selfies!

​http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/olympics/81425709/Rio-2016s-newly-unveiled-Olympic-Village-is-a-Disneyland-for-athletes

Did you know that what you can't see helps people read what you can see? The empty space surrounding text actually affects the speed and rate of understanding of the brain in decipher words. There two kinds of spacing. Leading is the space between lines of text, while kerning is the space between individual letters and words.  Most typeface designers and design software programs take basic spacing into consideration, but sometimes some fine tuning can really help increase the legibility of your message.   

Below are two examples of extreme spacing between words to demonstrate. Too much space in the first example causes the brain to pause between the words, leaving you wondering if they are connected. In the second example too little space leaves the brain trying to determine whether the text is one word or several. 

When designing on screen, it's always a good idea to get up, take a step or two back from your desk and look at your monitor. Can you read it easily? Do your eyes pause? Do you get confused as to what line of text is next? If you find yourself pausing as you read, some tweaks in spacing may be in order. ​

Cathy Vandergeest, RGD

Backed by a lifetime of typographic experience  and skill, Canadian designer Rod McDonald spent eight years creating Classic Grotesque, an old style inspired typeface released to the world in New York this month.  He worried about how such an old style would be received, but those in the industry were incredibly supportive, including Patrick Griffin of font studio Canada Type, “It’s the biggest thing to ever come out of Canada in terms of type design.”

With the availability of free fonts often created with very little knowledge of typography, the appreciation of a well-designed typeface is at risk of being lost. While type design and the use of type has changed with the advent of the computer, “fonts don’t just appear out of Microsoft Word,” McDonald said. A real typography designer agonizes over the subtleties of each letter. McDonald said, “I’m not happy until it works beside every other character.”

This article describes McDonald's career and the history behind his Classic Grotesque typeface. 

Creative typography in ads relays a message while providing impact. Here are some fun examples from: ​
​https://designschool.canva.com/blog/type-advertisements/?utm_source=ATT+2.16&utm_campaign=ATT+2.16&utm_medium=email

Love it or hate it, you must admit McDonald's is one of the most recognized brands in the world. This year, the fast-food chain has updated it's packaging with a very minimal typographic design.  Chicago's Boxer Brand Design stripped down the graphic and text-heavy elements of the previous design and introduced the playful use of the McDonald's name and logo with a bright, basic colour pallet. ​http://designtaxi.com/news/383296/McDonald-s-Unveils-Refreshingly-Bold-Typographic-Packaging-Design-For-2016/

Seattle bindery / store / letterpress Paper Hammer created this fun guide to typographic anatomy. ​ https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/238897190/know-your-typographic-bits?ref=shop_home_active_15

Maria Jose Da Luz, an illustrator from Costa Rica, has designed a full alphabet using her favourite Disney and Pixar characters. Each character is shaped like the letter while representing the name of the character (W for 'Wall-ee').  
http://designtaxi.com/news/381378/Disney-Pixar-Themed-Alphabet-With-Characters-Cleverly-Shaped-Like-Letters/

Fonts are not created equal when it comes to their point size. Text set at 11 points in Times New Roman looks very different than text set in Garamond, even at the same point size.  "Point size of digital type doesn’t tell you everything about how a typeface will actually look at a given size," says typography expert  Ilene Strizver.  Digital typeface designers are no longer limited to a piece of metal when they design their characters, so there can be more variation in a typeface's shape and size characteristics.  Strizver recommends that designers "Let your eye be your guide, not the numerical size."

For a more in depth look at Ilene Strizver's article click here. 

Last week Google launched their new logo which uses a clean, custom sans serif typeface and their traditional colour scheme. Return on Digital decided to have some fun by applying Google's redesign characteristics to other big-name digital company logos. http://www.returnondigital.com/blog/famous-brand-logos-remade-in-googles-new-design

Tired of winter? Maybe this will cheer you up. Graffiti artist 'Faust' has been decorating cars in New York City with calligraphic messages written in the snow. He says, "I believe everyone has an affinity for writing in the snow as a child. I guess I just haven't been able to shake it." Follow his snow calligraphy and other art here: https://www.behance.net/gallery/23308973/Snow-Script