Type Beautiful

I love fonts.

Earlier this summer I embarked on a project for my job where I had to create a series of posters, each relating to different aspect of local history. It was something to reel in the tourists, basically. I was captain of the ship-- I got to decide how the content was written, choose the photos, decide the layout and the color schemes. But my favorite thing to select was the font. I spent way too much time browsing page after page of downloadable fonts, all in search for the perfect font to set the mood for my posters. One poster required the replication of the font used for Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, and that was my most satisfying find.

Sometimes, I even find it hard to write if I'm working in a font that is plain or unpleasing to my eye. I usually like to select a style that is classic looking. My favorites as of late happen to be Bell MT, Modern No. 20, and Rockwell. I'm already obsessed with words, phrases, alliterations, imagery, figures of speech so fonts to me act like the fancy wrapping it all comes in.

"People who love ideas must have a love of words, and that means, given a chance, they take a vivid interest in the clothes which words wear." - Beatrice Warde

Tonight, I have two stories to share with you. So come join me by the fire and I will begin.

The first is about the tale of Eric Gill.
Gill was a British artist in the early 20th century who studied architecture but ended up making considerable contributions to the world of typography. That's right, fonts. He designed the font Perpetua, drawing inspiration from the monumental Roman inscriptions. He also created the Gill Sans typeface, as well as a few others that Word doesn't really use these days. In addition to typography, Gill also sculpted and made engravings. His engravings capture the tension he found himself in the middle of---his deep religious upbringing and his obsession with the erotic. Additionally, it was found out in his personal writings that his private life was very taboo. He wrote about sexually abusing his own children, having an incestuous relationship with his sister, and even engaging in sexual experimentation with his dog. To this day, Eric Gills remains one of the most controversial typographers of the 20th century.  Additionally, the type Gill Sans remains popular in England, as it is used in the BBC branding as well as the old "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters.

Next is a story about the font Mrs Eaves.
This typeface was created by Zuzana Licko in 1996. It was a revival of the traditional Baskerville font (what a good font, by the way!), created by the English printer and punchcutter John Baskerville. Back in the day, Mr. Baskerville hired a woman named Sarah Eaves as his housekeeper. Soon after, Eaves husband abandoned her and her five kids. She became Baskerville's mistress and occasionally assisted him with his work. Finally, Sarah married John a month after her estranged husband's death. Licko chose to name her font after Sarah as a sort of recognition of one of the forgotten women of typography. Interestingly, Mrs Eaves is currently the default font for WordPress and is used on the spines of Penguin Classic books.

I wonder what other classy-looking fonts have sordid histories like Gill Sans and Mrs Eaves...

If you are looking for free fonts to download, this is the website I recommend: dafont.com. If you have a mac, you simply download, click install then re-open Word. You're on your own for PCs, but I'm sure it's similar.

What is your favorite font? Don't you dare tell me Comic Sans.