Typophile

family to emphasise specific qualities

stormbind

Hi,

My first request is for a family that can be used in whole paragraphs, and which conveys qualities of: fast moving, collaborative, trustworthy.

I'm currently using Myriad Semibold. My first reason is that its half way between a sans and a serif, which might come across as being collaborative. Secondly, its not heavy enough to convey slowness.

My second request is for a complimentary serif font that can make short work of a long boring block of text. For this job, I am currently using Lucida Fax.

Please advise, and thank you so much! :)

jonathanhughes

I'm confused. You want a font that conveys "fast moving" but you're not happy with Myriad Semibold because it's not heavy enough to convey slowness.

And are we talking about a different Myriad? How is it "half way between a sans and a serif"?

Minion is the classic serif pairing for Myriad. Have you tried that?

nina

Hi Glen,
Sounds interesting. The "collaborative" part is tricky. Maybe a semiserif? Something with open forms, preferably?
For the record, Myriad doesn't strike me as "fast moving" at all, more as friendly, clean and comfy. And not as "halfway between sans and serif" either (that's where a semiserif would be, or maybe a flared/stressed sans if you like that stuff).

Maybe this is too much to ask, but could you maybe post a snap of the layout as it stands now? I'm having trouble visualizing the two fonts and what kind of jobs they need to do (text length, sizes, arrangement).

stormbind

Maybe my words are unclear. I like Myriad Semibold because it is not heavy enough to convey slowness. At the same time, I fear that the Myriad family might be too familiar to convey character?

Heh. Myriad is clearly not a serif, but I meant to suggest that its proportions might help eyes scan whole lines - like a serif. Maybe I am being too optimistic? :)

I don't have Minion! *faint* Instead, I have reduced my installed fonts to three other possibles. I think each is bit sugary compared to Minion and the free one failed at small sizes.

I'm a self confessed novice. Do any expert typographer's feel they can outdo these proposals? :)

Is there a good font like Roman Serif? The copy I found on a free site displays artefacts.

stormbind

Thanks altaira, I did not see your reply sooner and will get back to you :)

Edit: Just acquired a couple of the suggested fonts. Rotis Semi Serif is nice for the collaborative idea. I'll try to pluck up the courage to post my project, but not sure yet ;)

Bendy

Somehow Legato strikes me as fast moving (cursive*), collaborative (glyphs that purport to connect cognitively into boumas) and trustworthy (open counters).

*I mean its initial impression. Of course it's anti-cursive on deeper examination, Nina :P

Areplos also comes to mind.

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