Response: Typology

I've enjoyed getting into the Typology book. I'm the cool kid who screams out font names when I recognize them in the opening credits of movies, so this book is right up my alley.

What I like about this text is how they relate font styles to what is going on in the world and countries of origins at the time. I thought the section on Art Nouveau in Germany was particularly interesting. It talks about the magazine Jugend, which is responsible for the creation of the Jugendstil movement. In the examples in this section, you can see a distinct reflection of this younger, bohemian generation. The traditional and archaic Blackletter font is transformed into characters that are much more modern and organic. This is evident by the softer edges and less ornate serifs (if there are seffits at all).

Something I also found interesting while reading through the section was how so many of the examples incorporated so many different fonts in one piece. I don't know if this is because designers weren't concerned making their type look cohesive or what. One thought I had was that people felt like the more fonts the better (as well as the more variety in font size the better) because readers will think there is a lot of information there.

I'm excited to continue reading, especially once I get to the commercial modern era. I just think it's amazing how much of a difference a single font can make.