The next speaker who falls on the list is Jason Santa Maria. A little information about him is he’s the creative director of Typekit, founder of Mighty, faculty member of MFA Interactive design, vice president of AIGA/NY, creative director for A List Apart, co-founder/designer for A Book Apart and a founder of Typedia.

In 1993 we had no fonts, 2008 we were limited to 18 cross browser fonts and now today we have thousands of fonts that can be embedded to websites for users to see. By selecting the correct font, you can project a certain message or impression such as the font choices “The New Yorker” makes. Before, when we post articles online, we would have to decide from a dissimilar font since the typeface on paper may not be the one located on the web. Now, we have the capabilities to have the exact same font on print and the web so now people who read the paper and users who view an article online can have the same experience.

Understanding type and being able to perceive a good one from a bad one is not as simple as it looks. It takes some specialized skills to learn how to differentiate, particularly since there is an overwhelming number of old and new fonts being produced.

Each typeface has a role and should be used only a certain situations with some having exceptions. Contrast of fonts is significant. Having different typefaces, color, sizes, etc. can conceive art. You can control what people read first and control how they feel. Even “ugly” fonts have influence too. Researchers found that fonts such as Comic Sans and Monotype Corsiva can actually improve learning for students. Students and teachers that have an effortless time going through material are likely to succeed but do they retain this knowledge? Giving them a more challenging typeface to read will in fact increase their retention since they’ll struggle and take additional time to focus on the words.

When someone asks what a good font type to use is, it’s not an easy answer as, “Helvetica”. You must take in consideration as what will it be used for? How will it be used? Under what conditions? Do some research on your typefaces. The font you use were created with precision and time by someone, so learn about who created it. It’s important to know the history of it. In the movie, “Back to The Future”, the typefaces on the tombstone were created much later than the date Emmett Brown died, specified on his tombstone.

Each font has a few characteristics that follow them. Some can be stable, powerful, contrast, angular, etc. So the next time you’re working with letters or words, review the different fonts available and see what it can do for your design.