Typography Geography

Confession. I am the poster boy for the broad sweep of generalizations. Case in point. Here is the thing about display fonts. There have always been too many display fonts available to the graphic designer. You have been there even if you are not a designer. Which toothpaste or deodorant to choose? First, just pick the best designed container. Then decide whether it is solid, gel, spray or stick, and checkout. The marketing people want you to make informed, personal decisions, though. So be careful.

Display fonts (decorative) are the fonts used in headlines, titles or outdoor signage. These differ from body text fonts in which you have several paragraphs or pages using one or two standard, legible fonts. New display fonts are created everyday, making the choices even more difficult. Some of these are quite delicious and hard to resist until you realize you may never use it on the appropriate project. An industry that thrives on quirky design or elegance of “Architectural Digest” demand unique styles. Choices do matter. That said, one of the best online font profile sources is the “Rising Stars” newsletter produced by the folks at My Fonts dot com. Check it out.

My humble design above is submitted for your generalized enjoyment.