Just My Type: A Book About Fonts by Simon Garfield

Author:Simon Garfield [Garfield, Simon]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Profile
Published: 2010-10-21T04:00:00+00:00

Spiekermann’s Meta font

He refers to his Meta font as an example. ‘If you look at the data, it’s a mess. The thickness is all over the place, nothing is identical. But I’ve resisted any attempt to clean it up, because then it wouldn’t be Meta any more, it would be a mechanical clone. And that’s the challenge for all of us – to create warmth in a digital world. Not many people can do it. You see a lot of stuff that looks great but simply doesn’t turn you on. It’s like making a song on a synthesizer. To make a drum machine sound good is really difficult – you might as well play real drums. We’re still analogue beings. Our brains and eyes are analogue.’

Spiekermann’s blog, which is called Spiekerblog, contains acerbic comments on type he sees on his travels. As well as Berlin, Spiekermann has offices in London and San Francisco, and as he flies around he observes how type defines not only a city, but the characteristics of a nation. He sees parallels with architecture – Bauhaus influencing the geometric Futura – the classic German sans serif font while tall British Victorian terraces reflect the serif tradition. And there are parallels in commerce. ‘What does England make these days?’ he asks. ‘Jam, marmalade, cider, little pressies, gift stuff. English serifs have defined the packaging of tea. The French have defined perfume, the Italians have defined fashion, and we Germans have defined cars. Also everything in France is auto-shaped. Their typefaces look like a Citroën 2CV.’

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