Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Jonathan Hoefler Said What?

When I heard that Jonathan Hoefler was going to be speaking at the AIGA Pivot conference, I was beyond excited. Not only is he the creator of one of my favorite serif type families, Hoefler Text, he is pretty much a superstar in the world of typography. Because Hoefler was voted one of the forty most influential designers in America by I.D. Magazine, I knew I was in for a treat. So imagine my surprise when he uttered the words, "I don't think Papyrus is that bad." What! Could this be true, could my type idol really be saying these words. He followed up with, "it does what it's supposed to well, it's kitschy." At first I was outraged, but then I started thinking about it, maybe it's not the font so much that I loathe, maybe it's how people use it. Although it's supposed to signify kitsch, people most often use it to communicate fanciness. But then I think, if a font doesn't communicate what it intends to the masses, is it really a success? I'm still thinking on that one. In the end Hoefler's presentation was all that I hoped it would be, he even got me to open up my mind. Just a smidge though, I still pretty much hate Papyrus.

3 comments:

Brianna said...Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

The store or the font? :-)

frockgirl said...Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

@Brianna
The font. Never been in the store.

Jonas said...Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

The store is okay. The font is too popular. I hadn't really thought about the kitsch factor but that's a good point. I always think of it screaming "sewing circle." Probably why I'm not too keen on it. It mostly looks like it's trying too hard.

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