I'm currently reading "Just My Type" by Simon Garfield and am enjoying discovering the history behind those fonts that have become such a big (and unnoticed) part of our day to day lives! We've become so accustomed to seeing various distinctive fonts throughout each day, that we've stopped noticing them. It has been interesting to learn the important role that fonts play in terms of structuring transport systems and enabling learning. I look forward to reading the rest of this book!
The child-like Comic Sans font was at one point such a widely used font, that it was often used inappropriately, sometimes appearing on online porn sites! It even initiated a hate campaign, led by husband and wife Holly and David Combs.
Gills Sans, the creator of well known Gill Sans (surprise!), was quite a creepy bugger! He was notorious for his scandalous and incessant sexual exploits with various family members (and pets). Interestingly enough, his font can now be found on the covers of all the Penguin Classics books and as the official font of the BBC as well as the church of England.
When IKEA changed their in-store font from Futura to Verdana in 2009 it sparked public outrage, with some complaints revolving around the disappointing change in the roundness of the O's which no longer mimicked IKEA's famous meatballs.
Some interesting font facts from the book:
Steve Jobs played a crucial role in introducing fonts to the computer. Although many fonts had already been created, he first introduced the idea of being able to change fonts on a computer. His most distinctive font, in my mind, is called Chicago. It conjures fond memories of the first iPod that I owned in 2003.The child-like Comic Sans font was at one point such a widely used font, that it was often used inappropriately, sometimes appearing on online porn sites! It even initiated a hate campaign, led by husband and wife Holly and David Combs.
Gills Sans, the creator of well known Gill Sans (surprise!), was quite a creepy bugger! He was notorious for his scandalous and incessant sexual exploits with various family members (and pets). Interestingly enough, his font can now be found on the covers of all the Penguin Classics books and as the official font of the BBC as well as the church of England.
When IKEA changed their in-store font from Futura to Verdana in 2009 it sparked public outrage, with some complaints revolving around the disappointing change in the roundness of the O's which no longer mimicked IKEA's famous meatballs.
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