IKEA and the importance of typeface
I once made the mistake of referring to a font and was reprimanded. Typeface is correct for a family of visual representations of a series of letter, numbers and the like. Fonts are elements within the typeface family. For example, the Helvetica family is a typeface while its italicized or bold representations are Helvetica fonts. Then again, really, who cares?
The answer should be anyone working in design, of course. It also seems to apply to many who shop at IKEA. Now I confess that I have regarded IKEA as a place for good looking, but inherently cheap and temporary furnishings. My memories of interminable Sunday afternoons guided around the one way floor plan maze are more abiding than anything I have purchased there. Still, many regard IKEA as a beacon of design integrity amid the aesthetic darkness of corporate perspectives. Indeed, the insipidness of many corporate attitudes made IKEA appear to be a bastion for those who saw well considered design an inherent part of elevating our lives through our interaction with our environments.
So, when IKEA changes its typeface to the bland Microsoft produced Verdana, instead of its former customized Futura typeface, many felt betrayed. TIME Magazine has a good article about it here. But does it really matter? As one person is quoted, it isn’t world hunger. Then I got to thinking about my experience with typefaces. I recently used P22 Johnston Underground for some personal invitations. It mattered to me because, as an English expat, this typeface reminded me of its most famous usage on London’s Underground transit system. Home sweet home.
I also recalled seeing The Saint John’s Bible exhibited at the Joslyn Art Museum. This work in progress is a modern journey combining the traditional arts of calligraphy and illumination. Religion aside, it is potent evidence of the visual impact of the written word. How we see and perceive words also affects how we translate and interpret the meaning of those words. As much as visual or physical design influences our perceptions of the world around us, so does the use of typeface.
Feel free to share with me your interactions with typefaces and how they affect your perceptions of the meaning of the words themselves or of their environmental context.
Written by Stuart
David Day | Associates
About the Author: Stuart isn't often heard divulging his shady history. This, unfortunately, is not one of those times.