Typefaces

Prior to today, I was unfamiliar with the actual definition of the word “typeface.” I have always known what a font is [I actually have a knack for pointing out the exact name of fonts located on signs and posters] but really have never known what a typeface is. Thanks to the always handy http://www.dictionary.com/, I was able to grasp what a typeface actually is. According to that resource [www.dictionary.com] the word “typeface” is “the size or style of the letter or character on a block of tape,” “the full range of type of the same design” and lastly it is “the surface of a block of type that makes the impression and the impression made by this surface.” After gaining a clear understanding of what a typeface is, I could not wait to plug in “typeface” to my Internet search engine. I was able to find some really neat typefaces—and even some really lame ones. After gazing at just over one hundred typefaces, I found one that struck my fancy. It is the image shown above. In my opinion, this typeface is simple yet engaging. If I were to design a typeface that contrasted the words “light” and “heavy” this is exactly what I would come up with. The words each appear to fit what I imagine in my head, light appearing, well, light; and heavy appearing heavy [duh]. The word “light” appears as though I could pick it up off the page, yet “heavy” just lays there looking too massive for me to handle. The idea that the words “light” and “heavy” are tangible—that I could pick them up off the page—says a lot about the typeface, ultimately creating the meaning of the typeface itself: light is light and heavy is heavy.

I found the image above at this website: http://z.about.com/d/graphicssoft/1/5/2/A/scaleeffects3.gif.