When The NY Times had their typographic face lift of 2003, they obviously put a lot of thought into it. They replaced what was a mishmash of different typefaces with one family: Cheltenham. It was a decision that everyone could live with. Indeed, it was the kind of bold (yeah, I said it) move that screamed of confidence. Even hardcore NY Times stalwarts understood – modernization is necessary, but I can live with this.
Not so lucky is IKEA, who is currently on the receiving end of a Twitterload of abuse online regarding their shift to Verdana for their catalog font of choice. IKEA had been employing some kind of version of Futura which, sure, is an outdated font but it was a) sort of a signature font for them and b) a whole helluva lot more of a distinct opinion than Verdana. Verdana is a dumb-downed font for the web. It is specifically un-designed. Not good for a company like IKEA, which has enthusiasts who care about such things and also, by the way, are designers by trade. They should have known better. Faux pas.
Related: I love typography, but I’m partial to hand drawn lettering. The stuff that gets me really excited is typography layout like this work gathered here. This kind of careful manipulating of typography, drawing and image make you think of craftsman – designers from before computers. The lost art of design that comes from the hand. It’s the kind of work that makes you want to say “Beautiful,” whereas the cold comfort of the perfectly kerned, computer-generated line simply makes you say, “Nice.” There’s a difference.
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