#SWDchallenge: fun with fonts
The fonts we use in our graphs and slides can influence the perceived tone, professionalism, beauty, and other dimensions of the communication experience. Whether you’re a typeface expert or someone who’s never given this much thought, this month’s challenge is an opportunity for you to have some unrestrained fun with fonts.
By way of example, let’s consider two simple words: The End.
When I write them like this:
It evokes for me the idea that someone has finished typing—on an old school typewriter, of course—what might just be the next great American novel. And if we stick with the construct of books, when those same words are displayed like this:
I feel there’s likely been a level of flourish and romanticism in the preceding pages such that I’d rather move on to something else than to flip back and see what I’ve missed.
These are two very stylized typefaces—not all fonts will carry quite as much personality—but they each have some.
The font selections we make can lend a distinct tone to our graphs and slides, too. Sometimes, those decisions are made for us, by our tools’ default settings that we don’t opt to change or an existing branded template that we are required to use. Beyond that, our options might be limited simply by the situation. It’s not likely that we’ll consider Bauhaus a reasonable typeface for our board presentation, for example—
In the context of this challenge, however, you are free from any of these constraints. Play with fonts. Try something new. Assess what makes sense given the data you’ve chosen, the scenario for communicating it you’ve contrived, and the look and feel you seek. Let’s have some fun with fonts!
The challenge
Find some data of interest, create a graph, and style it with a font that supports (or subverts) the intended tone. Share your creation in the SWD community by June 30th at 5PM PT. If there is any specific feedback or input that you would find helpful, include that detail in your commentary. Take some time also to browse others’ submissions, and share your input via comments and datapoints over the course of the month.
Related resources
Here are a few related resources. Aware of others? Please share in your submission commentary.
