Typefaces have a massive impact on the identity that is being portrayed by it. It can convey the aims and values of a brand, and can be make or break whether the brand is successful or not. Type has been used for centuries and it’s purpose is to communicate a message to someone. Recently people have gotten more creative with typefaces and they can be customised in different ways to convey different messages. For example, Times New Romans suggests something important, whereas Comic Sans suggests something playful. In todays world, we have an endless selection of typefaces, which is great for designers. Being able to choose suitable and attractive typefaces is a very important part of designers work.
We then looked at how a typeface sets across a certain tone of voice. This is very important as if you want to portray your brand as playful and casual, then you shouldn’t use a serious typeface like Helvetica, but use something more inviting like Futura. When it comes to the personality of typefaces, they can play a role in how unique the brand is. In todays world, a lot of brands use similar Sans-Serif typefaces and it diminishes the unique personality from them. Although typefaces are supposed to look good and aesthetic, they should be unique to the brand itself and should stand out from competitors. They should also represent what the brand is trying to achieve. Here is an example of Disney using a playful script typeface for their logo, and of course this is very suitable for what the brand is trying to represent. Another one is Zara, and since they are a high-end luxurious fashion brand, they use a Serif typeface that conveys the brand image very well.
We then done a task where we had to create a user persona for a typeface. We randomly got given typefaces and we had to then research about the typeface, and create a user persona about the typeface with the information that we find. The typeface that I got was Segoe, one that I didn’t realise I was very familiar with and have used a lot.
Segoe is used by Microsoft, used in their default operating system and was developed by famous typeface company Monotype. The typeface was created by Steve Matteson in 2000 in Philadelphia, USA. This typeface was designed to be user friendly and legible, and is part of the Windows system font family, and is owned by Microsoft. In 2012, Microsoft replaced their 25 year old logo with Segoe type. The typeface is simple and it serves its purpose well. Considering the fact that this typeface will be used daily by a lot of people who are doing work, it is important that it is legible and consistent, as it shouldn’t distract people from their work, and I would say that it serves this purpose well.
Here is my finished user persona for Segoe. From my research I gathered that Segoe was a typeface that was pretty average, and although it is very commonly used, people use it without even realising. I thought that it was pretty bang average so I decided to create my user persona to be a 24 year-old accountant, which is a very average and not exciting job. I wanted to stress in the user persona that he is nothing special, and I think I done a good job at representing this. Since Segoe is the typeface for Windows OS, and the company that created it is based in Philadelphia, I decided to add aspects from these two things into the user persona. I am pleased with how it came out and I think that it is also quite funny.
I then read a piece of literature called ‘Meet Your Type’, which is a complete guide to choosing your typeface. It was very good for breaking up the details of typeface in a way that is funny and very easy to understand. I learnt a lot from this guide, especially breaking up the different elements of a typeface, such as x-height or what an ascender or descender is. It was also useful for learning the different types of typeface, such as slab-serif and script. It also helped me understand the importance of knowing the brands target audience before choosing a typeface so that you can tailor it to them. This guide to typeface was very beneficial and helped me understand typeface a lot better.
Todays class was very insightful as I hadn’t previously known about the thought and care that goes into choosing a typeface, and what to look for. I especially found it interesting how much research needs to go into the target audience and brand aims before selecting a typeface, as this can be make or break whether the company succeeds or not. The knowledge that I have gained from todays class about typography will be very useful for my projects, especially choosing the typeface for the banking brand.