What Does Your Font Say About You?

Whether it's an email, a printed document, or a web site, the typeface you choose says a lot about the type of person you are. To begin with, anyone who makes a conscious effort to choose a typeface instead of just going with the default is showing that they care about detail.

Getting a bit more granular, there are two groups of typefaces: serif and sans serif. Generally speaking, serif fonts give letters more definition, making them easier to read.

I sent a query to colleagues on LinkedIn asking them what their favorite typeface was and why. The responses are still pouring in. Who knew that people were so passionate about their typeface? I'll summarize a few personality types, you add your thoughts about type, and I'll revisit next week. 

Serious About Your Words?

Times Roman is a serif typeface that has been around since the 1930s when the British newspaper commissioned it. That alone should tip you off to the fact that this font is serious. People who choose it want their words to speak for themselves; although a few wrote to say it was "boring." One woman confessed to using Times Roman during work, but had her fun with more creative fonts after work. Michelle Slatalla, who writes the Cyberfamilias column for the NY Times, said that she likes Times Roman because its elegance elevates words to ideas. And an editor for a custom publication, Melanie Rogers, says that she likes Times Roman because the serif adds "detail."

Ken Faris of Michigan thinks his choice of Times Roman says something about who he is. "I'm someone who prefers classical aesthetics. I enjoy the visual presentation of the information that I peruse as long as it does not get in the way of the underlying content.

Bettina Ortiz works with interns in international school programs. At heart she's a French Script font user, which is pretty informal, but it's also feminine and dainty. By day she uses Times New Roman, which she says reflects her work attitude: serious, to the point, and strictly business.

Modernists

Milan Savani wrote that he uses Georgia, a more modern rendition of Times Roman, because if the New York Times uses it then it must be good. Georgia was introduced in 1993 by Matthew Carter for the Microsoft Corporation. It's designed for clarity on a computer monitor even at small sizes.

Calibri is the default new typeface for Microsoft Office 2007. It replaces the previous defaults Times New Roman (for Microsoft Word) and Arial (for PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook). Ruchika Sukh, an attorney, wrote to say that Calibri is a favorite because it's clean and non-fussy. In a survey done at Wichita State University, Calibri was the most popular font for email, instant messaging, and PowerPoint presentations. It also ranked highly for use in web site text.

Blend in With the Crowd

Arial is one of the most ubiquitous typefaces used today. It has a simple, straight-forwardness that causes you to attend to the words, not the writing. Arial, a sans serif face, was created to replace Helvetica. Use Arial and you'll have your readers focused on the document, not the fonts.

One Arial user said the typeface was sort of like her personality: casual, but not fussy. It's a good clean font that's not as stodgy as Times Roman. Dr. Lucille Pilling, a university professor, sticks with Arial because she says it works best with Gmail, uses the smallest amount of space (when you have to count number of words, etc.), and is universally accepted (which counts when you do global business). Arial is also the default typeface in the older PowerPoint versions (pre-2007).

A Touch of Class

Garamond has a venerable history as a typeface that offers both fluidity and consistency. The serif style makes it elegant but practical. Lauren Miller Ross, who's hunting for the perfect job in NYC, says that she's loved Garamond ever since a friend wrote to her and said, "you have Garamond, I want it." She adds, "In my daily life I don't feel envied, but Garamond makes me feel, briefly, envied."

Web-Centric

Matt Peterson, a web designer, uses Myriad Pro. Myriad is Apple's corporate font. The elegant font looks good in both display type and text.

Do Like Humans Do

If you think the standard fonts are getting a bit long in the tooth, you might want to use Josh Weinberg's approach. A public relations executive, Weinberg says he likes any type that looks like a typewriter created it. Courier was originally designed for a typewriter, but it's used for documents, charts, and technical specifications.

The Swiss Army Knife

The well prepared keep a couple of different typefaces in their arsenal. Aidann Bowley wrote in with a core list of favorites. He alternates among them based on the job he's doing at the moment. Fedra, Quadraat, Gotham, Rockwell, Gill Sans, and Frutiger are all on the list. Alison Coulsen likes Avenir, an unusual font in that it has weights that are similar, but each is designed for a different purpose.

Geek Chic

Writers don't care as much about which font they use because it gets dumped into a book, magazine, or other template. As a matter of fact, one writer wrote to say that he likes Lucida Sans Unicode because it's got the biggest selection of Unicode characters. Now that's geeky.

For the Emily Post Crowd

If you're writing thank you notes, try Monotype Corsiva or Bodoni, the type you find in many women's magazines.

Not every program supplies every typeface. You may have to buy a font at sites like MyFonts. For a look at the top 10 popular typefaces go to RedSun.

Thanks to all who shared their knowledge and sense of style. Stay tuned for more.