Font art geekery

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I love fonts. I love the subtlety of font variation and how it affects the mood of what you're expressing. My work in photoshop has cultivated this, as I studied the fonts of dozens of Disneyland signs, tried to find similar ones online, and noticed the minute differences. In some cases I had to chop up letters and make new ones with the pieces.

I just saw this and I'm wondering if anyone else here is as captivated as I am by it. I mean, look at the MindShare one. You've got your purple swirly bits. But the transition to the block, all-caps block font is so grounding and strong, I feel happier about the company just looking at the new logo (and I don't even know what they do).

Notice that many of the new ones have rounded edges, and the widths of the individual lines remain the same throughout the curves of the letter, giving them a 2 dimensional, warm appearance. Xerox is a good example. In the old logo, see how the lines are thinner in some places, and how the new one is completely different? There's something so stable and friendly in this fad in fonts.

I've never tried to make my own but I'm getting interested...though, as with my photoshop projects, I'd probably just modify one already done, or recreate an expensive one (like Gotham, the Obama font....*drool*).

I feel like I need to pick up a book on the topic or join a font geek board somewhere. Anyone have any insight into this stuff, or just have an appreciation for typography?

[alphabassettgrrl]

My interests tend to lie in handwritten script and ancient stuff.

Though I'm not immune to a good computer font and I do like the use of different fonts in graphic design. I like when the letters are part of the actual design- like the Animal Planet one.

[lashbear]

I preferred the Walmart logo with the star in it.

Mindshare is beaut !!

[Morrigoon]

Agreed about the old Wal*Mart logo.

Best Buy is really dumb to change from that iconic logo. Other ones I like, although some, like the Discovery Channel, I don't much see the point in changing it. I mean, yeah the new iteration is slightly better, but is it better enough to warrant the change?

Sorry, I know this is supposed to be about fonts...

[Betty]

I love fonts. LOVE them. I will spend a good hour every now and then downloading more I've discovered. I download them for no specfic purpose in mind - other then I love fonts.

I've only ever paid for a handful of them - retro ones that I wanted to use for a specific purpose... the two I used were Chicken Basket and Cocktail Script and I still like those... but I need to go find more. This thread has made me itchy for new ones.

Last count I was up to about 4000 of them. I thought that was bad until I had a guy online about 2 years ago helping out with a logo design who informed me he had over 10,000 of them.

So no, you're not the only one with a thing for fonts.

Even the "plain" font you use in business letter can set the tone of it - happy? serious? The right font can help get that across.

One of my favorite font places is fontdiner.com. A few free fonts - lot's you can buy - and all so very kewl.

[innerSpaceman]

Fonts are our Friends.




I don't think all those logo changes were for the better, but I think changing up is good in itself sometimes. (Um, unless you go from a really cool and famous logo to a lame one with zero recognition factor.)

[Alex]

As always, interesting to see different reactions to the same thing. I would have listed Mindshare as one of the less successful changes (but not nearly so bad as Animal Planets) on that page.

Long strings of all cap are annoying to read. In a quick glance my eye now almost fails to differentiate the letters as such and it turns into a rectangular block of white. Pragmatically, its used of subtly shifting colors will be a bitch to reproduce across various formats and will lose a lot when forced into places that just isn't possible. And the use of white on a colored background means that either your logo needs to carry around its framing with it everywhere it goes or you'll have to use a different presentation.

Though I did just visit their web site and can't find an instance where the logo is presented in white lettering on a purple shield so maybe your link site doesn't present it as it is intended to be used. The version on a white background with black lettering is better (though the lengthy word in tight all caps still fails for me). However, at least in their online presentation those two overlapping discs are animated. I put that in the category of epic fail.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by Betty

I've only ever paid for a handful of them - retro ones that I wanted to use for a specific purpose... the two I used were Chicken Basket and Cocktail Script and I still like those...

Heh, I know exactly the fonts you're talking about, and I've drooled over fontdiner many a time. I think I first came across that site when we were designing the LoT logo.

Funny, since I wasn't the one who actually did the logo I don't know the fonts involved...Erica? Hmm, I may need to dig around. Anyone have a copy of the old logo?

Alex - so I guess you're not a fan of Gotham, though the letters aren't close together. I often like all-caps fonts.

I am not a fan of the new Animal Planet logo at all, it looks like a mess to me.

[Betty]

The animal planet reminds me a dead animal with the letter on it's side.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Dang, I've found the .png file for the logo, but not the .psd. Don't know where I kept that, if I did.