Typography | Off Book | PBS

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Type is everywhere. Every print publication, website, movie, advertisement and public message involves the creation or selection of a fitting typeface. Online, a rich and artistic typographical culture exists, where typefaces are created and graphic design seeps in to every image.

In episode 2 of Off Book, typeface designers Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones outline the importance of selecting the right font to convey a particular feeling. Graphic designer Paula Scher talks about building identity in messaging, while Eddie Opara uses texture to create reaction. Infographic designers Julia Vakser and Deroy Peraza map complicated data sets into digestible imagery, mixing color, graphics and type. http://www.pbs.org/arts

Artists:

Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones, Typeface Designers
Paula Scher, Designer
Eddie Opara, Designer
Deroy Peraza and Julia Vakser, Designers

Music by:

VLOOPER: http://vlooper.bandcamp.com/album/cop...
Anitek: http://www.myspace.com/anitek123
Reno Project: http://soundcloud.com/renoproject
Stidiek: http://www.myspace.com/stidiekmusic
Hinariku216: http://soundcloud.com/hinariku216

Follow Off Book:

Twitter: @pbsoffbook
Tumblr: http://pbsarts.tumblr.com/

Produced by Kornhaber Brown: http://www.kornhaberbrown.com

• Category

  Film & Animation

[PBS]

We were asked what typeface was used in the titles -- it's "Gotham."

[Shaun O'Connor]

If words have meaning and type has spirit then handwriting got soul!

[THEinterrobang]

Interesting clip.

Allow me to offer a correction to the terminology section. A "Font" is traditionally a quantity of a given face in a given size, and has it's origins in metal type. For example, a printer would purchase 2 cap fonts, 3 lowercase fonts, and 2 figure fonts of 14pt Futura.

Futura is a "Typeface", and Futura Bold, Futura Book, or Futura Light, would be stylistic "Variants" of any given face.

"Font" is a misnomer. No one using digital type is using "fonts", they are using type.

[Braydon Thompson]

6:21 referred*

[filmsiii]

Yes! Thank you for clarifying that to people.

[DoABarrelRol1l]

Simon and Lewis's fathers...

[Mary Jimenez]

Thank you so much for this! :)

[Donnie Darko]

Lol Comic Sans

[Mostafa Gaafar]

You'd think a typography video would have better kerning for the title, apparently not

[Mostafa Gaafar]

You'd think a typography video would have better kerning for the title, apparently not

[rgGamerfreak69]

At the very end what was the most beautiful font ever designed it says comic sans I was like WTF!? Then they were just kidding!

I have a question where do they get the names of the fonts from?

[cwearly1]

I'm surprised they didn't mention the image of Obama's face made entirely of type. That piece was so "deep," that when I saw it I fell in love with typography. Thanks for the awesome video :)

[Bp1033]

I love comic sans. You can write the most beautiful and intelligent things with it and people would still hate it.