My own personal opinion this isn't something you can "read" about. Naturally there are probably books on this subject and certainly many more that attempt to "teach" this ability, but I would hesitate to recommend any. I am reminded of something Stephen King once said, "A good writer can become better, but a bad writer can never become good." I believe this applies to just about anything creative. Either you have the talent, or you don't.

Now to climb off my soapbox....

There are many resources on the Web that cover this subject; one of the most popular articles is this one. Wichita University even did a study on this, So What Size and Type of Font Should I Use on My Website? Vitaly Friedman compiled a list of 25 best free quality fonts, which is worth checking out.

I agree, it's not something you can read about. You just have to choose a typeface you think is appropriate or looks good! Thats what you're a graphic designer of typographer for? :)

OK. To a certain point, yes.

But if design is ultimately about getting a message across, when we choose a font, we should probably be aware of the tone it sets or the connotations it conjures up. This means there are reasons for the decisions we make beyond personal taste.

Suppose a client asks why we've chosen a particular font. Or suppose the client wants us to use an inappropriate font. We'll have to back our opinions up somehow with relatively objective reasoning. Can't just say, "Look, Im the designer, I have better taste."

We'll have to pull out some descriptive adjectives and verbalise -that's scary- the visual choices we make. Some fonts convey distinction, some are better for fashion, some look more technical, etc. Bodoni is a tuxedo, you know what I mean.

Someone must have written about this... I hope.

Not all who wander are lost

Here you have a couple of examples of what I mean borrowed from another thread:

QUESTIONS:
1. Which 3 words would you use to describe Helvetica?
2. Do you have any emotional response to Helvetica and its uses?
3. In your opinion, is Helvetica ‘neutral’?

SuperUltraFabulous said:
1. Strong, Universal, & Sexy
2. Yes, I love it. I love seeing it. It feels high fashion and classic to me. Many high end european furniture houses use Helvetica for their identity: Edra, Cappelini, & Knoll.
3. Not absolutely. Univers is what I consider absolutely 100% neutral- cold- emotionless type. Helvetica does have some warmth, dare I say, quirkiness. Or perhaps instead of those qualities- attitude. She doesn’t exactly wear her heart on her sleeve. If Helvetica was a woman she would certainly be one of Helmut Newton’s amazons.

Ryan Holmes said (among other things):
In fact, for most graphic designers, aren’t Helvetica Neue and Franklin Gothic STILL the first two grotesk sans you turn to? Why not, they get the job done. Univers is too truly antiseptic, Folio is quirky, Akzidenz Grotesk is authentic but less mannered than the big two, News Gothic and Trade Gothic are thin and wimpy.

Thanx to these folks! I'm learning already!

Not all who wander are lost

> We’ll have to back our opinions up somehow with relatively objective reasoning. Can’t just say, “Look, Im the designer, I have better taste.”

Well, actually, maybe you can? :)

Not really of course. But to a certain extent... You should give type-choice thought of course, but I don't think you should want to have a massive elaborated reason why you picked a certain font.

I ask myself what does the font need to do (e.g. be legible in small pointsize could be a criterium), and what kind of style it needs to be to fit the look and feel of the design (or content thereof) I'm working on.
Since you are a designer, you should also rely on your feel for style and aesthetics and so on, at least that is a important part of the job.

But of course it's all going to be subjective, but I think that doesn't need to be a problem per sé: for example, a poetrybook I had to design. The poems were serious, yet with a somewhat quirky, weird and sometimes playful undertone. The type area was going to be relatively small compared to the lengths of the poems, so the type had to be set fairly small as well. In the end I went for Dolly. I think it fits all the criteria I mentioned; it has the offcial look you can find in typefaces like Trinité/Lexicon, but it's quirky and weird at the same time. And it sets remarkebly well in small pointsizes.

I don't know if other people would agree with that, but I think it fitted well.
Well, just me thinking out loud. ;)

> Ryan Holmes said (among other things):
In fact, for most graphic designers, aren’t Helvetica Neue and Franklin Gothic STILL the first two grotesk sans you turn to? Why not, they get the job done.

I think that's probably a discussion that has been held here more than once. But I disagree with that statement. Sure, they probably get the job done, but things will start looking seriously bland if you use it for everything.

Hello

I saw some books in english about finding the right type. Off the top of my head i'd say one of them is 'Typefinder', i'm not sure about the other ones. but so far most of th books i've seen are not very useful in that purpose: you just can't take them, insert a few adjectives or sentences to describe your job, its target, its purpose, its message... and come out with a list of 6 or 7 types that would fit. These books are hard to use.

As a matter of fact, I am working on such a book myself, since 4 years. The book is very much a guide to choosing the right typeface, and it will be published in France (yep i'm french) at Atelier Perrousseaux in 2008. And I can tell you it's a very hard task to accomplish. I completely disagree with the previous posters who say that you can't read about this. If so, well, how do you learn to use the correct typeface? OK, it comes from your taste, your education as a graphic designer, etc... but this taste and education comes from something, from somewhere, from someone. An article, a book, a teacher. My book's purpose is not to give the 100% correct choice for each and any situation, but it should at least give a path to follow in order not to make a huge mistake.

Good luck,
David R

Well, what I meant with that you can't read about it, that trial and error (so experience) is the best teacher. Of course there is probably written about, but it still comes down to you, your taste, your style, your experience, etc.

... And experience comes also from reading...

:-)
David R

Monsieur, je suis demi Espagnol demi Americain. J'ai etudie un peu de Francais au lycee. J'ai oublie beaucoup de choses mais si votre livre est interessant je pourrai essayer de le lire. Pourriez vous me dire le titre, s'il vous plait?

Excusez mon Francais. Je pratique pas depuis 10 ans. Et merci beaucoup. Vraiment. J'avais besoin de lire un commantaire comme le votre.

(Just sayin thanx real quick to our French buddy)

I understand -any adult would- the importance of experience, practice, etc. And I understand there are no magic formulas. I'm just looking for info that will help me create my own criteria by reading the opinions or advice of others (among other things).

Anyone else got any ideas?

Not all who wander are lost

> ... And experience comes also from reading...

Partly. But there's no substitute for practical experience. :)

Quincunx: I absolutely agree with you on that. but some people just need to find a correct typeface in a limited amount of time and they don't always have the knowledge / experience / right friends to suggest something, so maybe a well written book might help a little in his/her first steps in the cruel but magnificent world of typography... one learns from his/her mistakes, for sure; only, these mistakes result in poorly typographed documents in our everyday life; it would just make everyone's experience and life much healthier if it wasn't the case.

elsuertudo: the title of the book will be "guide de choix typographique". it will be published mid 2008. if you don't practice french since 10 years, i'd suggest you read some from today if you don't want to get too lost in the book :-)
the translation rights will be in the openwhen the book is published, so if you kow an interested publisher, feel free.

David R

try looking at individual characters within a typeface, if you look at each one on its own it gives it much more personality i think, you notice its detail and extra components which might help to communicate the intended message overall. its these little components that give the letters its character.

have a look at this:

http://www.woodymedia.co.uk/uni/crabby/typequestionnaire.htm

It's important to study type history.
I doubt there is any other area of culture where the old stuff is as current and widespread as typography, except perhaps religion.

The concept of historical allusion is important. Typefaces designed in the same era work well with one another, not so much because the viewer realizes they allude to the same period, but because they tend to share the same kinds of letter shapes and proportions. They harmonize, because they were designed to work together from the outset.

History will give you a background upon which to place and identify different kinds of typefaces, letterforms, and details, and will help to organize your knowledge and visual awareness.