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Offtopic semi-ignorant question: As a non-designer, can someone explain to me why I'd ever need more than a single serif font, a single sans-serif font, a singl
by mkopinsky 14y ago
Offtopic semi-ignorant question: As a non-designer, can someone explain to me why I'd ever need more than a single serif font, a single sans-serif font, a single monospace font (and ok, a single "fun" font)? Why should I care about the differences between Times New Roman and Garamond, or between Arial and Verdana? Even when I look closely I struggle to see the differences within categories, so I find it hard to believe that my document or logo or whatever will be perceived differently by a reader because it uses the wrong font within the correct category.
- tommikaikkonen 14y agoYou can't not communicate with a typeface - they always have a certain feel, which is why there's a whole lot of them. Typefaces also have characteristics that make them more suitable for certain situations. For example, Georgia is designed for the screen with a tall x-height but Garamond looks better in print with its small x-height. Then there's condensed fonts, small caps.. It's certainly hard for a non-designer to catch all the visual differences but I believe they are sensed subconsciously by all.
- ghaff 14y agoI agree with everything you say. That said, it's also true that there are an awful lot of fonts out there but a relatively small number are used for most day to day screen and print use. I know that when I have a project such as a book, I tend to end up spending a bunch of time fussing around--and, at the end of the day, I usually go back to some variant of the standby fonts I routinely use.