My love affair with typography

I’m not a graphic designer. I’m not a designer of any kind. And I’m certainly not a typographer. But I have always, always loved the power and persuasion of a beautiful typeface. Each one with their own distinct personality and inherent message… think about how Times Roman conveys a stately, tried-and-true seriousness versus, say, a Futura that’s so wonderfully clean and contemporary (but with a timelessness to it, likely because it’s been around since the 1920’s).  The picture above left by Penelope Dullaghan highlights the artistry of typography that transcends “text”.

All this said, there’s a wonderful article in last week’s New York Times Magazine about the slow change to the signage of America’s roadways from the tired and less-clear “Highway Gothic” font to the newly developed and much more legible “Clearview” font (designed by Don Meeker, an environmental graphic designer, and James Montalbano, a type designer). In a nutshell, their new font is statistically proven to be more legible than the old design, thereby giving drivers more time and distance away from the sign to read it and react to its message. Through the power of design, these two guys are literally going to save hundreds of lives a year in reduced traffic accidents… not to mention helping the elderly and seeing impaired (like me without glasses) rest a little easier as we drive.

It’s an incredible example of how design can literally change (or save) our lives. Meeker even has a wonderful quote, saying “I’ve always believed that design can be a form of social activism.” To those of us working in or at least adjacent to graphic and typographical design, it reinforces the importance and the power of the choices we make as we build better and more effective communication.