There is no bad type

I have to disagree with Spiekermann with this title for the chapter. The funny thing is this is the first chapter that I didn’t read the title. I don’t know how it was possible since I looked at the first page with the title written on it, but I did. And what is also funny is my first notes are that complaining about type I think is bad.

One page is devoted solely to brush script typefaces. This type makes me ill. It looks so cheap and disgusting. It is a mockery of the real thing and a bad imitation. Some things just shouldn’t be imitated in my opinion. And if they are attempted then the designer must take GREAT care to not make them come off in a cheap manner. All these brush script typefaces in my opinion look cheap and should never be used. I put them into my crap folder.

Spiekermann had some good tips for memos too. He says to keep the lines at a 10 word per line width and I completely agree. One thing that I really liked though was his suggestion to make a narrow column and place it next to the main text. This column would be the first thing the reader would see and it would answer who, what, and when. I have a book that is filled with nothing but stationary design for companies (business cards, letterheads, ect.) and non of them featured this additional small column of text. I have just never seen it done before but it is quite brilliant.

In the email section it is stated that you should avoid HTML in email communications because not all mail programs can accept the code. This was definitely true when the book was written but it is now obsolete information as it has been the standard for many years to accept HTML.

The book ends with “There is no bad type.” I can somewhat agree with this statement. I think that a lot of typefaces that get a bad reputation are simply because they are used over and over again in bad ways. Kind of like the saying “there are no stupid questions, just stupid people.” Maybe that is the same for type and designers. For instance, many people hate comic sans. But if used in a comic book then I think it would be fine. Anywhere else though and it will just generate hate. But then again there are always exceptions to these rules or theories. Brush scripts typefaces are really awful. Brush scripts = bad type.

Putting it to work

This is the shortest chapter of the book thus far, but it is definitely my favorite (not because it is the shortest). The first part of the chapter Spiekermann talks about cookbooks and how that if you were designing one you would have to take into consideration how it would be read. Most often people are in a hurry and glancing at the book from a distance. Type should generally be larger and copy should be simplified as much as possible.

Another example Spiekermann uses are the instructions for mounting snow chains on tires. Often they are put on in the dark when it is snowing and you are uncomfortably cold. The instructions do not help when they are printed on white paper and the text is small and hard to read. He recommends using black text on a yellow background and making the text legible no matter what. Also, keep sentences to as few words as possible.

Spiekermann has some very good advice for designing forms. He says that you should start off by creating the layout incorporating the bulk of the material and not to worry about the few longest lines. Basically, do not design for the small exception. Then after you have you layout to go back and try and figure out a creative way to make you for these few exceptions.

Another way to improve the design of a form is to get ride of boxes and especially vertical lines. If you use a vertical line then you are only requiring yourself to add in more space on each side of the line. Also, text naturally forms a vertical line when it is aligned and so the use of a vertical line becomes redundant. Horizontal lines on the other hand should be used to accentuate certain areas within the form. I believe this is all awesome information. There is nothing worse than seeing crappy information design and copy. It is so frustrating and makes you want to pull you hair out just from looking at it. On the other hand, clear and practical information design is beautiful. It can make someone want to do something that normally would be seen as a chore (such as filling out a form) and make it seem not so much of a pain or perhaps even make it pleasurable.

My favorite part of the chapter is the little side caption that speaks about different work environments. If companies want good workers and keep them motivated then it is necessary to indulge them a little. Such are not keeping them in sad and gloomy cubicles but instead livening up the work environment. Spiekermann recommends Christmas lights and fake palm trees. He also comments that firms that design forms with lots of little boxes and redundant lines probably keep their workers in confined cubicles. This is so true and it made me laugh out loud! I think, especially with design firms, that you can tell a lot about the people that work there from the work that they produce.

How It Works

Spiekermann says that we like things that look human. I couldn’t agree more. I touched upon this in an earlier post already though so I will spare you the rehashing. He also talks about how we are a;lways trying to improve on creation but that it is not always a good idea to do so. Basically, that it is good to have unusual and eccentric designs where letters can be individuals. If this were not so then our designs would become mundane.

Much of this chapter talks about leading and kerning and about the rhythm that is necessary for reading. I found this to be very good information and it gives a slightly different perspective from other things I have read on the subject. Spiekermann uses a really great comparison between lines of time and lanes on a road. The lanes of a road become wider as the speed limit is increased. The same is true for lines of type. The longer the lines will be the more line spacing that is required. Also, the longer your lines of type the more relaxed the lines should be. These lines need tracking that is looser and word spaces that are wider.

Types of Type

Research has shown that we scan text at the x-height. I never really thought of this before but it is really great information, especially when designing type or just choosing the most legible type for a particular job. This leads me to believe that the parts of the letter that are around the x-height are the most crucial parts.

Speikermann states that most designers agree that only a handful of typefaces are needed for everyday use. Now I feel like that I need to group together my favorite typefaces together and figure out my favorites that I can rely on when I need to achieve different goals. Speikermann says that in his opinion, 12 is a good number of type faces to use for everyday work. The only other designer I have heard use a certain number before is Wolfgang Weingart and he says that only 4 are needed. I found this to be shocking that you could only really need 4 but I think it could definitely have its benefits as well as disadvantages.

Speikermann says that a good type family will cater to many different moods. I think that’s why some of the more popular sans serifs have become so popular because many of them evoke little to no emotion therefore allowing them to be used in any work really.

When mixing different typefaces, it is recommended to the reader to use type designed by the same desgier e.g. Eric Gill’s Johanna and Gills Sans and also Adrian Frutiger’s types.

In one section, certain people are matched up with different typefaces. Paul was matched up with tekton. I really, really, hate tekton.

I really like Agfa Rotis. I really like when types have both sans and serif versions. This one has a semi-sans too which is pretty slick looking in my opinion.

It is mentioned that some typefaces do not look good at certain weights and sizes and I have found this to be very true. It is nice to know that I am not alone in these beliefs. Its really awesome to see type at its most optimal viewing though, whatever they weight or size my be.

Type Builds Character

This chapter of the book was quite informative. Basically Spiekermann shows different layouts for different kinds of projects then he explains about the typefaces that were used. Most of it was not extremely thought provoking but it did give many good facts. I thought I would just write down a few of the notes I took for this journal entry.

- Caslon by Twomby is one of the most popular of all book faces.
- For decades the motto of the British was “When in doubt, set it in Caslon.”
- No more than 8 elements should be used in an advertisement. Any more than 8 and the reader cannot focus and will divert their attention elsewhere.
- Arkindenz Grotesk – mother of most modern sans serifs.
- Helvetica – the face without features.
- Univers – the cool alternative.
- Frutiger – the friendly sans.
- Thesis – typeface with 144 cousins in one family.

Spiekermann says that you can always tell the difference between reports that are designed in Germany, Holland, Britain, and Italy. I would really like to see all these and compare them.

Since this post is a little short I thought I could make up for it by inserting this video I found on Spiekermann’s blog.

Type with a purpose

“Before you pack your font suitcase, you need to look at the task ahead. Strike balance between practicality and aesthetics - that’s what design is all about.”

Spiekerman uses the analogy of packing a suitcase for various kinds of trips and how it is like that of choosing a font for various projects. The is a good comparison that shows that you must ask questions about your type just as your would for clothes you are packing. There should be a reason you choose every type and it should be both practical and aesthetically pleasing.

Spiekerman sets an entire page in italics. I didn’t even realize it until the last paragraph when he wrote it. It didn’t seem strange to me at all. But he goes on to say that as a rule you wouldn’t normally do that to a page or set an entire page in italics. Not because it doesn’t look good or is practical but that people aren’t used to it and so it could case them some discomfort. He does recommend breaking the rules though once in a while.

Later on in the chapter it is explained that one should use trendy types in moderation and really think about whether its is appropriate in each circumstance to use them. The reason being is that they will most likely not last in time and be dated to the time they were created. This is similar to most everything else that becomes trendy. Spiekerman says to save the fonts though for later as they will eventually come back into style again. I really liked this quote, “Don’t throw away your old fonts – keep them for your kids.”

Looking at type

I liked the section where Spiekermann shows the photos of the shoes and then has the reader match them to the most appropriate type. I thought it was rather fun and illustrated a good point.

I agree with with Spiekermann when he shows that different types have their own personalities. He states that they can skip, run, jump and express numerous emotions. It seems as though humans have a natural tendency to associate objects with personal attributes. We can recognize a face with as little as two circles and a line under it, even two rocks and a stick. The same phenomenom of looking for the human in the inhuman is also done with type as well as any thing else that deals with design.

It is stressed that the designer think about what they are trying to communicate and then choose a font that helps to communicate that message. For example if I were to create an ad for a Nike running shoe is might be appropriate to use a typeface that looked as though it were slender and still athletic and maybe even give the impression that it was moving.

I am also really interested in the classic proportions that for whatever reason are more desirable to look at than others. Spiekermann mentions how Dürer studied these proportions to see what makes people "beautiful." I know the greeks and romans did this too in ancient times and it would be nice if there was a book or something more to find out about them. I imagine many proportions that are used in design relate back to the human body as well.

What is type?

I found these few pages in chapter 2 to be rather boring. I think 95% of it has already been covered in our lectures and in a MUCH better and more informative way. Also, these few pages could have been summed up a lot faster. Some of his writing seems like it was added just to fill in some space. There just wasn't much that much meaty information in my opinion. If I would have read this before our lectures and whatnot then I might have found it more interesting.

Basically, all that was shown was that type has changed over the years which is pritty obvious. From carvings in stone to type on the computer. Some type from 500 years ago cannot really be read anymore while other type is still very legible and modern versions of it are still in use.

Type is everywhere.

The first chapter of “Stop Stealing Sheep,” trys to illustrate the fact that type is all around us, whether we notice it or not. As designers it is out job to know what the most appropriate type is for a particular job. If we don’t make the right decisions we will still be communicating something, just not that of our goal. Paul Watzlawick’s quote at the beginning of the chapter echoes the same thoughts. “You cannot not communicate.”

This chapter also explains that as designers we need to be fully aware of “invisible” design. We need to question why things are done the way the are and what the goals of the designer were. It stats that we need higher standards for design . More so than the general public since of course it is our job. There is enough bad design out there as is and we shouldn’t help contribute to it.

I found the page on the german road signs to be very interesting. By adjusting the type a little it greatly affected the signs readability in night.

Good vs. Bad

Bad


This example I found of bad type is from a salon’s website. The website itself is quite poorly designed, so it is no surprise that the type is not used in an effective manner. The type that is used in the navigation bars has numerous problems. One of these is that the type that was chossen just does not go with the image of this salon or any other salons for that manner. It is small so it is difficult to tell what font it is for sure, however, it looks like some type of gothic style. This style of course does not compliment the salon. It is too pointy looking and gives me the impression more so of a mideval tortue chamber than that of a relaxing salon.

I think a better choice for type would have been a simple clean sans serif font or perhaps a more fancy caligraphy look. Both of which are used in the signs for the two salons which look as though they were done by professions, unlike this website.

Another problem I see with this type is its spacing within the navigation bar. There is a decent amount of space between the base of the type and the bottom line of the bar. But, for some reason, the designed did not put ANY space between the top of the type and the line. They are touching! It makes me feel uncomfortable looking. Uncomfortable is the complete opposite of this salon. I know because I get my hair cut there. They start everyone off with a little back and neck rub. It’s the only thing that makes me want to go get my hair cut!


Good


I was browsing some designs sites this afternoon and found this lovely logo for a design company. I think this decorative type for the word “felt” is really great. Before the page loaded I was thinking about felt the fabric. When I saw the stitching it re-enforced that idea. Then I thought about the texture of the word and how it looks as thought you can really feel (felt) it which just made me like it even more! The sans serif type itself has a simple, clean, and modern look to it which I think goes well for just about any graphic design company.