7.8.11

----- "Words Have Meaning, And Type Has Spirit" -----

amen.



It's a quote from renown graphic designer Paula Scher in this featured documentary on typography. The video is a little short but enough to satisfy our sweet brain (like as in sweet tooth but for the mind, get it? haha?). It's really gratifying to listen and watch graphic designers discuss passionately about, what seems to be, day-to-day things because when they finish, the ordinary stuff is nothing but unordinary. Here are a few favorite quotes from the designers in the clip:


"Type faces are not toys, they're tools; they're designed to solve problems."
Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones


"Types are not merely about forms, they're about design systems and how they relate with one another."
"Typeface is little bit like a carpet. I kinda look at it from a point of view of texture and how readable that texture is"
- Eddie Opara

"Everything is about identity; everything is about expressing individuality."
"It's the joy of what happens with colour and form and information."
- Paula Scher

It's hard to explain the feeling and connection graphic designers have with typography. You may see them merely as the dreadful Times New Roman in your essay papers; or the overused Arial on your screen. I, speaking for myself, see every letter in a typeface as individual art work designed to communicate harmoniously together with other visual shapes, colours and forms, building a synchronized system. It's about the way fonts can communicate emotions; talk and speak visually; adding depth and experience. My inner GD geek moment comes out when I spot beautifully used and/or designed typography, and I find myself in awe, literally, like witnessing a miracle, watching an adorable toddler, watching Youtube puppy videos, or like an emotional foodie eating a plate of aphrodisiac. Simply: Sigh.

ps. Shout out to PBS: i'm sorry I grew up and stopped watching your channel. Pappyland
was my favorite art show; my love for food and cooking was started with watching Julia Child and Jacque Pepin shows (I went berserk when they collaborated). I'm happy you're doing this series.

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